The document discusses Jesus' hyperbolical assertion about not silencing his disciples and how various human sentiments, like curiosity, the love of liberty, and religious fervor, should not be suppressed but rather encouraged. It emphasizes the importance of allowing these feelings to be expressed in appropriate ways and highlights God's providence in even the smallest details, using the story of Jesus' entry to Jerusalem as a foundation. Overall, it conveys that God's love and care extend to every aspect of life, urging believers to trust in His guidance and to willingly submit to His needs.

1. JESUS WAS EXAGGERATING TO MAKE A POINT
EDITED BY GLENN PEASE
LUKE 19:37-4037 When he came near the place
where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the
whole crowd of disciplesbegan joyfully to praiseGod
in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen:
38 “Blessedis the king who comes in the name of the
Lord!”[b]
“Peacein heaven and glory in the highest!”
39 Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus,
“Teacher, rebuke your disciples!”
40 “I tell you,” he replied, “if they keep quiet, the
stones will cry out.”
BIBLEHUB RESOURCES
SuppressionAnd Expression
Luke 19:39, 40

2. W. Clarkson
It is not difficult to find the meaning of our Lord in this hyperbolical
utterance of his. "Why should I silence my disciples?" he says. "Ofwhat use
would it be to suppress such strong feelings as theirs? Feeling will always find
its vent. If suppressedin one form, it will express itself in another; if driven
underground in one spot, it will only come up in another; if these human
beings whose hearts are so filled with exultation were silenced, the very stones
would cry out." It is useless, andworse than useless, to try to extinguish
enthusiasm by a hard repressive commandment. The folly of suppressionand
the wisdomof allowing and inviting, indeed of providing, the means of
suitable expressionwill apply to many things.
I. YOUTHFUL CURIOSITY. Curiosity is an irrepressible thing; it will be
satisfied. Age cannot extinguish it, try how it may. It may have occasionto
check it, but its true wisdom is to guide it - to take the necessarytrouble to
satisfy it in the best possible way. Curiosity is not a plant of the evil one; it is
rooted in the soul by the heavenly Father; it is a main source ofknowledge;it
ought to be wiselybut amply nourished. If we endeavour to suppress it we
shall find that it will not be suppressed, but will find other ways of satisfaction
than those we disallow.
II. THE LOVE OF LIBERTY. A desire for freedom and independence is a
strong sentiment of the human soul. Where intelligence exists there it will
arise and assertitself. It will not be put down; it cannot be put out. Authority
may "rebuke" it, as the Pharisees wantedChrist to acton this occasion;but
the Lord of our nature knows that it will be heard and must be respected.
Neither domestic, nor social, nor national, nor ecclesiasticaldespotismcan
survive beyond a certaintime. The aspirations of the human soul for freedom
will not be denied. If not permitted a wise and rightful form of action, they
will take improper and harmful ones.

3. III. THE RELIGIOUS SENTIMENT IN MAN. Philosophy has tried to silence
the voice of faith; it has undertaken to rebuke the disciples; and it has
temporarily and superficially succeeded. Butit has found that so deep and so
strong is the religious sentiment in man that when religion is driven down
below the surface it comes out againin superstition in some form or other.
The sense ofthe Supreme, a yearning of the human heart for the living God, is
not to be erasedfrom the soul, is not to be removed from the life of man.
IV. DEFINITE RELIGIOUS CONVICTIONS. Thesealso are not to be
suppressed. Men have takenvery various views of the doctrines of the
Christian faith; and, as we know too well, opponents have not only
"rebuked," but tried arrogantly and forcibly to silence, those who have
differed from them. But they have not succeeded. Religious convictionis an
inextinguishable force; slain in the persons of its champions, it rises againand
reappears, oftenin tenfold power.
V. RELIGIOUS ENTHUSIASM. To this the words of our Lord primarily and
most properly apply. Religious fervour may frequently be disposedto take a
form which we do not think the best, or eventhe suitable and becoming. But
we must take care how we deal with it. It is not a thing to be suppressed;it is
to be encouragedandenlightened and guided. It is, or it has within it, a true,
living power; this poweris of God, and is for good. Abruptly and harshly
rebuked and silenced, it will only assertitself in other and probably still more
questionable forms. Treatedwith Christian sympathy and encouragement(see
Luke 10:49, 50), informed and enlightened by superior intelligence, directed
into wise channels, it may do a noble work for the Masterand mankind.
1. Let not a young enthusiasm be mindful only of its own exuberance;let it be
regardful of the judgment and feeling of experience.

4. 2. Let experience be tolerant of eager-heartedenthusiasm, and be prepared to
count it amongstits friends. - C.
Biblical Illustrator
Ascending up to Jerusalem.
Luke 19:28-40
Christ journeying to Jerusalem
Expository Outlines.
I. THE MANNER IN WHICH HE WENT. The only occasiononwhich we
find Him riding. Fulfilment of a prophecy.
II. THE RECEPTIONHE MET WITH.
III. THE SORROW OF WHICH HE WAS THE SUBJECT,
NOTWITHSTANDING THE ACCLAMATIONS HE RECEIVED.

5. 1. A benevolent wish.
2. An alarming sentence.
3. A melancholy prediction.Conclusion:Let us remember for our warning,
that gospelopportunities when slighted will not be long continued.
(Expository Outlines.)
"He went before
P. B. Power, M. A.
These are some of the thoughts which are suggestedto our minds, as we see
Jesus in the Scripture before us, taking the first place in the progress to
Jerusalemand death. The position was emblematicalas wellas actual;and it
suggestssome teachings for us which are very calculatedto bring comfort to
our souls. Let us glance, first of all, for a moment, at the motion and position
in itself. See the alacrity and willingness of Jesus to enter all suffering for us.
And what do we learn here, but that His heart was in the sadwork which He
had undertaken to do. The thoroughness of Christ's love is brought before us
here. He was thorough in love. Mark, too, Christ's assumption of the position
of a leader. He knew the place that had been assignedto Him by the Father;it
was headship in suffering, as wellas in glory; He took up at once, in that last
journey, His rightful place. See, too, how our blessedLord takes up a double
position. He is at once leader and companion; His little company were one
with Him; He with them; but yet a little before them. He talks with us, while
He goes on before;He does not separate the leader and the companion; His
lordship over us is so sweet, thatHe heads us as friends; having a common
interest in all He does. And now, there is greatteaching and comforting for us

6. in all this. In the first place, we who follow Christ have to explore no untried,
untrodden way. It is thus our comfort that we have always one to look to.
Ours is no interminable road, no lonely, solitary path. Jesus, if only we can see
aright, is never very far ahead. The mowers who mow in line, have much
more heart during the burden and heat of the day, when their scythes sweep
through the grass, keeping time to the stroke of a fellow-workmanin front.
The steadfastness ofChrist's purpose is also forcibly suggestedto us here.
Firmly and intelligently, with a full knowledge ofthe indignity and death
before Him, our Lord started forth, and took the headship of His little band
on His way to Jerusalem. Thatsteadfastnessis of immense importance to us.
Were there the leastwavering in Christ's character, we were undone. And we
hold on to this steadfastnessnow. We believe Him to be the same yesterday,
and to-day, and for ever; we see Him now acting from the cross, in the same
spirit wherewith He journeyed to it. And now, let us in our trial-times see how
Jesus has "gone before" in all. Is the path of weariness the one marked out for
us; behold upon it the One who satweariedupon Jacob's well;no longer
weary, it is true, but remembering well all earth's wearinessesofbody and
spirit; and offering us His company on the trying path. Or, is it that of
rejection? No thornier road is there on earth than that of biting poverty —
poverty, with all its temptations and stings; well! Jesus was poor, and
hungered and athirst, and had not where to lay His head. Before the poor;
right on upon this path, is the figure of the Lord; let them but feel that He is
their Lord, and they shall no longerbe distressedat being the world's casts-
off; our being a cast-offof the world will not much matter, if we be
companions of the Son of God. Then comes deathitself — the last journey; the
way from which human nature shrinks; the one which, despite rank or
wealth, it must surely tread. Here, if we be inclined to faint, Jesus canbe seen
by His people, if only they believe.
(P. B. Power, M. A.)
The Lord hath need of him
The Lord's need

7. J. B. Meharry, B. A.
This trifling incident contains big principles.
I. It gives us AN IDEA OF PROVIDENCE. Tendencyofthe age is to the seen.
But mind kicks againstit. Mind is like a bird, which pines in a cage. Here is
hope for religion— the mind kicks againstartificialconditionings. If you like
you may saythe mind likes, like a bird, to make its nest. True! but it wants
above it not a ceiling but a sky. You can't cramp mind in your nutshell
organizations. Shut it behind walls — and then it will ask, Who is on the other
side of the wall? Providence involves two things. First — idea of God
preserving, guarding our being and well-being. He preserves, though we don't
see the way. How did Christ know that the colt was to be found at this stated
moment? and that the ownerwould part with his property? Similarly, we
must allow for the knowledge ofGod. The secondthing involved in
Providence is the idea of government.
II. IN PROVIDENCE ATTENTION IS GIVEN TO LITTLE THINGS AS
WELL AS GREAT. "A colttied." It is demeaning God's economy — some
will say. That all depends on your conceptionof God's economy. He numbers
the hairs of our head. He sees whenthe sparrow falls.
III. GOD HOLDS EVERY CREATURE RESPONSIBLE TO SHOW ITSELF
WHEN WANTED. Everything, in God's order, has its time, and is not itself
till that time reveals it. Sea-wrack onthe sea-beachis ugly, slimy, hideous. But
the same sea-wrack in a pool? How it spreads itself and makes everytiny
filament beautiful! So prophecy in human history needs to be corroboratedby
the event, before it can fairly be understood. Apparently little events — what
worlds of goodor evil may turn on them!
IV. SOLUTION OF THE MYSTERIES OF LIFE. They go to the man for the
colt. Would not common sense ask, Whathave you to do with the colt?

8. Simply, "The Masterhath need of him." You have a favourite daughter. One
day she is not well — only a cold, you think. But she grows feverish, and you
call in the doctor. Doctorprescribes, but still the sweetone sickens;and one
day in his solemn look the mother reads the hard sentence — her child must
die. Why is it? "The Lord hath need of it."
(J. B. Meharry, B. A.)
One Lord
"The Lord our God is one Lord," so there may be no debate about the
direction of our worship, about the Ownerof our powers, about the Redeemer
of our souls. See how this operates in practicallife. The disciples might
naturally feel some little difficulty about going to take another's man's
property; so the Lord said unto them, "If any man say ought unto you, ye
shall say the Lord hath need of them, and straightwayhe will send them." But
suppose there had been a thousand lords, the question would have arisen,
which of them? But there is one Lord, and His name is the key which opens
every lock;His name is the mighty powerwhich beats down every mountain
and every wall, and makes the rough places plain. What poetry there is here!
Why, this is the very poetry of faith. It is not mere faith; it is faith in flower,
faith in blossom, faith in victory!
Thefulfilment of minute prophecies
J. Parker, D. D.
Not the fulfilment of sublime predictions, so called;but the fulfilment of little,
specific, minute, detailed prophecies. Goddoes nothing unnecessarily, speaks
nothing that seems exaggerationor superabundance. There is a meaning in
the most delicate tint with which He hath varied any leaf; there is a
significance in the tiniest drop of dew which ever sphered itself in beauty on
the eyelids of the morning. And that Christ should go into Jerusalemupon an
ass, and a colt the foal of an ass!That is not decorative talk; that is not mere

9. flowery prophecy, or incidental or tributary foretelling. In all that we should
accountlittle and of inconsequentialmoment is fulfilled to the letter. What
then? If God be carefulof such crumbs of prophecy, such little detailed lines
of prediction, what of the life of His children, the redeemed life of His
Church? If not one tittle could fall to the ground respecting things of this kind
— matters of order, arrangement, sequence — is He unrighteous to forgetthe
greaterwhen He remembers the less? Will He count the hairs upon your
head, and let the head itself be bruised? Will He paint the grass, and let the
man fall to decay? Is He careful about birds floating in the air, and careless
about lives redeemed by the sacrificialbloodof His Son?
(J. Parker, D. D.)
Ownership
J. Bolton, B. A.
A nobleman who had a magnificent garden was ill in bed, and orderedhis
butler to go into the hot-house and bring him the finest bunch of grapes he
could find. He came to the hot-house, he openedthe door, he examined all the
clusters — he fixed on the best— he brought out his knife and cut it. Just as
he did so, a cry was raised, "There's a man in the hot-house I there's a man in
the hot-house!" The gardeners, young and old, dropped their spades and
water-pots, and ran to the hot-house. As they glancedthrough the glass, sure
enough, there stoodthe man, and in his hand the Queen Cluster — the very
one which they had been watching for months — the one which was to take
the prize at the Horticultural Show I They were furious — they were ready to
kill .him — they rushed in and seizedhim by the collar, "What are you
about!" they said, "How dare you! — you thief! — you rascal! — you
vagabond!" Why does not he turn pale? — why does he keepso cool? — why
does he smile? He says something — the gardeners are silent in a moment —
they hang their beads — they look ashamed— they ask his pardon — they go
back to their work. What did he say to make such a sudden change? Simply
this — "Men! my lord bade me come here and cut him the very finest bunch
of grapes I could find." That was it! The gardeners felt that the hot-house, the

10. vine, and every clusteron it was his. They might call it theirs, and propose to
do this and that with it — but really and truly it was his who built the house,
and bought the vine, and paid them for attending to it. Just so, dear children,
the Lord has a claim on all we possess;our souls, our bodies, our tongues, our
time, our talents, our memories, our money, our influence, our beloved
relatives. "Ye are not your own";and wheneverHe has need of anything we
must let it go" — we must learn to yield it up to Him as cheerfully as the
owneryielded up his colt.
(J. Bolton, B. A.)
Why we are needful to God
Christian Age.
"Why was it?" askedMrs. N—— of her own heart as she was walking
homewards from the communion-table. "Why was it?" she almost
unconsciouslyexclaimedaloud. "Oh, I wish somebodycould tell me!" "Could
tell you what?" said a pleasantvoice behind her, and looking around, she saw
her pastorand his wife approaching. "Could you tell me," said she, "why the
Saviour died for us? I have never heard it answeredto my satisfaction. You
will sayit was because He loved us; but why was that love? He certainly did
not need us, and in our sinful state there was nothing in us to attract His
love." "I may suppose, Mrs. N——," said her pastor, "that it would be no loss
for you to lose your deformed little babe. You have a large circle of friends,
you have other children, and a kind husband. You do not need the deformed
child; and what use is it?" "Oh, sir," said Mrs. N—, "I could not part with my
poor child. I do need him. I need his love. I would rather die than fail of
receiving it." "Well," said her pastor, "does God love His children less than
earthly, sinful parents do?" "I never lookedupon it in that way before," said
Mrs. N.
(Christian Age.)

11. Every goodman is needful to complete God's design
Austin Phelps.
An expert mechanicianconstructs a certain axle, tempered and burnished, to
fit the hub of a certain wheel, which againhe fashions as elaboratelyto fit the
axle, so that a microscope detectsno flaw; and now nothing can take the place
of either but itself; and eachis labour lost without the other. True, they are
only an axle and a wheel, eacha single one, a minute one, a fragile one; not
costlyin material, nor remarkable in structure; but in the absence ofeither,
the chronometerwhich should decide the arrival of England's fleet at
Trafalgarmust hang motionless. Everygood man is such a fragmentary and
related instrument in the hands of God. He is never for an hour an isolated
thing. He belongs to a system of things in which everything is dovetailed to
another thing. Yet no two are duplicates. Nothing can ever be spared from it.
The systemhas no holidays. Through man's most dreamless slumbers it
moves on, without waiting for delinquents.
(Austin Phelps.)
Blessedbe the King that cometh
Jesus our meek and humble King
Stauss.
I. OUR KING IN HUMILITY.
1. Jesus is our King.
(1)The prophecies announce Him as such. (Isaiah9:6; Zechariah 9:9.)
(2)He avowedHimself a King. (Matthew 11:27; John 18:37.)

12. (3)He proved by the powerof His will that He was a King. (Matthew 21:3.)
2. Jesus is our humble King.
(1)He refused royal honours. (John 6:15.)
(2)In opposition to the presumption of the Jews, He would never actnor
appear as King. (John 18:36.)
(3)He debasedHimself in all humility.
3. Follow Him in His humility.
(1)By contrition and a sincere confessionofyour sins.
(2)By resignationin adversities.
(3)By humility in earthly happiness.
II. OUR MEEK KING. This may be seen —
1. From the purpose of His coming — of His Incarnation. He comes as a
Friend and Saviour; and wants to be loved, not feared.

13. 2. From His earthly life.
(1)He was full of love and mercy towards the suffering, whom He invited to
come to Him.
(2)He was full of mercy and tenderness towards sinners and His own enemies.
3. From the experience ofyour own life. Jesus came to you as a meek King —
(1)In your afflictions, to console you.
(2)In your sins, which He bore in patience.
(3)In your conversion, the work of His mercy. Strip yourself of the old man
with his deeds, as the Jews stripped themselves of their garments, and let
Jesus walk overyour former self.
4. Learn of your King to be meek of heart also. (Matthew 11:29.)
(1)As a superior towards your subjects.
(2)Towards sinners and your enemies.

14. (3)In tribulations and afflictions.
(Stauss.)
Praise thy God, O Zion
C. H. Spurgeon.
I. First, we shall observe here DELIGHTFUL PRAISE. In the thirty-seventh
verse every word is significant, and deserves the careful notice of all who
would learn aright the lessonofhow to magnify the Saviour.
1. To begin with, the praise rendered to Christ was speedypraise. The happy
choristers did not wait till He had entered the city, but "whenHe was come
nigh, even now, at the descentof the Mount of Olives, they began to rejoice."
It is well to have a quick eye to perceive occasionsforgratitude.
2. It strikes us at once, also, that this was unanimous praise. Observe, not only
the multitude, but the whole multitude of the disciples rejoiced, and praised
Him; not one silent tongue among the disciples — not one who withheld his
song. And yet, I suppose, those disciples had their trials as we have ours.
3. Next, it was multitudinous. "The whole multitude." There is something
most inspiriting and exhilarating in the noise of a multitude singing God's
praises.
4. Still it is worthy of observationthat, while the praise was multitudinous, it
was quite select. It was the whole multitude "of the disciples." The Pharisees
did not praise Him — they were murmuring. All true praise must come from
true hearts. If thou dost not. learn of Christ, thou canstnot render to Him
acceptable song.

15. 5. Then, in the next place, you will observe that the praise they rendered was
joyful praise. "The whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice." I hope
the doctrine that Christians ought to be gloomy will soonbe driven out of the
universe.
6. The next point we must mention is, that it was demonstrative praise. They
praised Him with their voices, and with a loud voice. If not with loud voices
actually in sound, yet we would make the praise of God loud by our actions,
which speak louder than any words; we would extol Him by greatdeeds of
kindness, and love, and self-denial, and zeal, that so our actions may assistour
words.
7. The praise rendered, however, though very demonstrative, was very
reasonable;the reasonis given — "for all the mighty works that they had
seen." We have seenmany mighty works which Christ has done.
8. With another remark, I shall close this first head — the reasonfor their joy
was a personalone. There is no praise to God so sweatas that which flows
from the man who has tasted that the Lord is gracious.
II. I shall now lead you on to the secondpoint — their praise found vent for
itself in AN APPROPRIATE SONG. "Blessedbe the King that cometh in the
name of the Lord. Peacein heaven, and glory in the highest."
1. It was an appropriate song, if you will remember that it had Christ for its
subject.

16. 2. This was an appropriate song, in the next place, because it had God for its
object; they extolledGod, God in Christ, when they thus lifted up their voices.
3. An appropriate song, because it had the universe for its scope. The
multitude sung of peace in heaven, as though the angels were establishedin
their peacefulseats by the Saviour, as though the war which God had waged
with sin was over now, because the conquering King was come. Oh, let us seek
after music which shall be fitted for other spheres!I would begin the music
here, and so my soul should rise. Oh, for some heavenly notes to bear my
passions to the skies!It was appropriate to the occasion, becausethe universe
was its sphere.
4. And it seems also to have been most appropriate, because it had gratitude
for its spirit.
III. Thirdly, and very briefly — for I am not going to give much time to these
men — we have INTRUSIVE OBJECTIONS."Master, rebuke Thy
disciples." But why did these Phariseesobject?
1. I suppose it was, first of all, because they thought there would be no praise
for them.
2. They were jealous of the people.
3. They were jealous of Jesus.

17. IV. We come now to the lastpoint, which is this — AN UNANSWERABLE
ARGUMENT. He said, "If these should hold their peace, the very stones
would cry out." Brethren, I think that is very much our case;if we were not to
praise God, the very stones might cry out againstus. We must praise the
Lord. Woe is unto us if we do not! It is impossible for us to hold our tongues.
Savedfrom hell and be silent! Secure of heavenand be ungrateful! Bought
with precious blood, and hold our tongues! Filled with the Spirit and not
speak!
(C. H. Spurgeon.)
The triumphal entry
David Gregg.
Christ's triumphal entrance into Jerusalemis one of the most noted scenes in
gospelstory. It is a sun-burst in the life of the Son of Man. It is a typal
coronation. It is a fore-gleamof that coming day when Jesus shall be
enthroned by the voice of the universe.
I. THE SCENE.
II. THE CHIEF LESSON INCULCATED BY THE SCENE:ENTHUSIASM
SHOULD BE CONSECRATEDTO THE SERVICE OF CHRIST. There was
feeling and thrill and deep life and outbursting emotion in the triumphal entry
of Jesus into Jerusalem, and He approved it all. I argue for the equipment of
enthusiasm in the service of Christ. There should be a fervency of spirit that
will radiate both light and heat. The faculties should be on fire. There are
higher moods and lowermoods in the Christian life, just as there are higher
moods and lower moods in the intellectual life. Every scholarknows that there
are such things as inspirational moods, when all the faculties awakenand
kindle and glow; when the heart burns within; when the mind is automatic,
and works without a spur; when the mental life is intense; when all things

18. seempossible;when the very best in the man puts itself into the product of his
pen; when the judgment is quick and active, the reasonclearand far-seeing,
and the consciencekeenand sensitive. These are the moods in which we glory.
These are the moods which give the world its long-lived masterpieces.These
are the moods which we wish to enthrone in the memories of our friends. You
remember Charles Dickens'scharming story, "David Copperfield." In it there
is pictured the parting that took place betweenthe two young men, Steerforth
and Copperfield. Young Steerforth, putting both hands upon Copperfield's
shoulders, says:"Let us make this bargain! If circumstances shouldseparate
us, and you should see me no more, remember me at my best." Steerforth is
only a type of us all. Every one of us wishes to be remembered at his best. I
argue for man's best in the religious life. Man is at his best only when he is
enthusiastic. Enthusiasm is power. It is the locomotive so full of steamthat it
hisses at every crack and crevice and joint. Such a locomotive carries the train
with the speedof wind through hill and overvalley. It has been enthusiasm
that has carried the Christian Church through the attainments of ages. By
enthusiasm, when it is in an eminent degree, men propagate themselves upon
others in matters of taste, of affection, and of religion. Iron cannot be wielded
at a low temperature. There must be heat, and then you canweld iron to iron.
So you cannot weld natures to eachother when they are at a low temperature.
Mind cannot take hold of mind nor faculty of faculty, when they are not in a
glow. But when they are in a glow they can. We see this exemplified in society.
Hundreds and hundreds of men, who are rich in learning, ponderous in
mental equipment, ample in philosophicalpower, who are low in degree of
temperature, and who labour all their life, achieve but little. You see right by
the side of these men, men who have no comparison with them in native power
or in culture, but who have simplicity, straightforwardness, and, above all,
intensity, and what of them? Why, this: they are eminent in accomplishing
results. There are people, I know, who have an antipathy to enthusiasm and
emotion in religion. They objectthat we cannotrely upon enthusiasm. They
forgotthat if it spring from the grace ofGod it has an inexhaustible fountain.
One hour enthusiastic people cry "Hosanna";but the next hour they cry
"Crucify." I deny that the hosanna people of Jerusalemevercried "crucify."
The charge that they did is without a single line of Scripture as a basis. Peter
and James and John, and men of that class, did they cry "crucify"? Yet the

19. hosanna people were made up of such. In a city in which there were gathered
from all parts of the nation not less than two millions, there were certainly
enough people of diverse minds to create two parties diametrically opposed,
without requiring us to slander the grace of enthusiasm, and circulate false
reports about the hosanna people. I stand by the hosanna people, and
fearlesslyassertthat there is no proof againsttheir integrity. Enthusiasm I
That is what the Church needs. It is only the enthusiast who succeeds. Enter
the history of the cause of Christ, and there also will you find the statement
borne out. What was Paul, the chief of Christian workers, but an enthusiast?
Rob Paul of his enthusiasm, and you blot out of existence the churches of
Corinth and Ephesus and Galatia and ThessalonicaandTroas. Robhim of his
enthusiasm and you annihilate the Epistles to the Romans, Corinthians,
Ephesians, and the PastoralEpistles. This day of palm branches has been
duplicated and reduplicated ever since the triumphal entrance of Jesus into
Jerusalem, and this reduplication will continue until Jesus is ultimately and
for evercrowned on the great day of final consummation. The world is full of
hosannas to the Son of David. The humble Christian schoolof the missionary
in foreign lands is a hosanna sounding through the darkness of heathendom.
The philanthropic institution that rises into sight all over Christendom is a
hosanna to the Son of David echoing through civilization. The gorgeous
cathedral, standing like a mountain of beauty, is a hosanna to the Son of
David workedinto stone and echoing itself in the realm of art. The holy life of
every disciple, which is seenon every continent of the earth, is a hosanna to
the Sonof David ringing throughout all humanity. These hosannas shallbe
kept until the end come, and then all the universe of God's redeemed will peal
forth the grand Hallel in the hearing of eternity.
(David Gregg.)
Enthusiasm in religion
David Gregg.

20. What is your religion if it have no enthusiasm in it? Who wants a wooden
Christianity or a logicalChristianity only? Christianity loses its powerwhen it
loses its pathos. Every religion goes downwardwhen it loses the power of
exciting the highest, most intelligent, and most courageousenthusiasm. Some
of us have need to be cautioned againstdecorum. Alas! there are some
Christian professors who do not know what it is to have a moment of
transport and ecstasy, unutterable emotion — who never, never go awayupon
the wings of light and hope, but are always standing, almost shivering —
eating up their dry logic, and never knowing where the blossom, the poetry,
and the ecstasymay be found. Christianity should excite our emotion and
make us sometimes talk rapturously, and give us, sometimes at least, moments
of inspiration, self-deliverance, andvictory. It was so in the case before us.
The whole city was moved. There was passion, there was excitementon every
hand. But, then, am I advocating nothing but emotion, sensibility,
enthusiasm? Far from it. First of all, let there be intelligent apprehension, and
profound conviction respecting truth. Let us see that our foundations,
theologicaland ethical, are deep, broad, immovable. Then let us carry up the
building until it breaks out into glittering points, farflashing pinnacles, and
becomes brokeninto beauty.
(David Gregg.)
The coming King
J. Treanor, B. A.
I. THE ESTIMATE FORMED OF OUR LORD BY THE CROWD. "King."
II. HIS CREDENTIALS. "In the name of the Lord." Divine commission
attested.
1. By His words.

21. 2. By His works.
III. THE BLESSINGS WHICH COME WITH THE KING. "Peace" and
"glory."
IV. THESE BLESSINGS ACCOMPANYEVERYADVENT OF "THE KING
THAT COMETHIN THE NAME OF THE LORD."
1. It was so at His first coming.
2. It shall be so at His secondcoming. It is so when the King comes to reign in
the sinner's heart.
(J. Treanor, B. A.)
Hosannas to Jesus
N. H. Van Arsdale.
I. THAT WHICH MAKES MEN ILLUSTRIOUS, AND WORTHY OF
DISTINCTION — lofty genius, heroism, expansive benevolence, mighty
achievements — all that intensified and sublimely illustrated to a degree
infinitely beyond what is possible to attainment by ordinary mortals,
DISTINGUISHES THE LORD JESUS, AND ENTITLES HIM TO OUR
HOMAGE AND PRAISE, Take —
1. Genius. What is genius? Genius originates, invents, creates.Talent
reproduces that which has been, and still is. The spindles in our mills, the
locomotives in our shops represent genius. The swift play of the one, and the
majestic tread of the other across the continents on paths of steel, is genius in

22. motion. Now turn the light of these definitions upon the Lord Jesus Christ,
and see if He has not genius worthy of our best praise. It were folly to deny
creative genius to Him, by whose wordthe worlds sprang into being, and by
whose powerthey continue to exist. It were folly to deny originality to the
Alpha and Omega of all mind and matter, life and spirit. Folly againto deny
superior intellectual acumen to Him, who is the light of all intellect, the
inspirer of all right thought, the incentive to all noble action. The blind saw,
and the deaf heard, and the dumb spake, and the dead awoke. As to the
modifying influence which Coleridge says is implied in the highest type of
genius, it has been truly affirmed: The genius of Christ, exerted through His
gospelin which His Spirit presides, has made itself felt in all the different
relations and modifications of life. Take the next elementof distinction that
men applaud.
2. Heroism. Spontaneous is the homage paid to heroes. In some lands they are
deified and worshipped. Heroism! Produce anotherexample, such as Jesus of
Nazareth, from the long list of the world's illustrious! Take the next quality in
lofty manhood that men extol —
3. Benevolence. Ofthis Jesus was the perfect personification.
4. Wonderful achievementreceives applause from men. The multitude praised
God "for all the mighty works that they had seen." Our works may be good,
Christ's are mighty as wellas good. We visit the sick, Christ cures them.
II. HIS PRAISES HAVE BEEN SUNG IN ALL AGES, ON ACCOUNT OF
HIS WORTHINESS OF ALL HOMAGE IN HEAVEN AND IN EARTH.
Abraham, the representative of the patriarchal age, lookedforwardto His day
with glad anticipations, and praised the promised seed. Jacob, in his dying
predictions, sang of the Shiloh, and waited for His salvation. Moses chosefor

23. the subjectof his eulogy the Prophet like unto himself, unto whom the people
should hearken. David in exalted strains sang of His characterand works, His
trials and triumphs, His kingdom and glory, and died exulting, "Blessedbe
the Lord God of Israelfrom everlasting and to everlasting. Let the whole
earth be filled with His glory. Amen and Amen." The prophets all rejoicedin
Zion's delivery and Judah's King. At His birth, angels and shepherds and
sages sangHis praises. As in some of the old monasteries one choir of monks
relieved another choir in order that the service of praise might not cease,so as
one generationof the children of Godhas retired to its rest, another has
caught up the glad strains of hosannas to Christ, and in this way they have
been perpetuated down the centuries.
III. THERE ARE THOSE, HOWEVER, WHO WOULD INTERRUPT THE
PRAISES OF GOD'S PEOPLE:YEA, WORSE, SUPPRESS THEM
ALTOGETHER. We learn from our text that this was the desire of the
Pharisees onthis occasion. Thus, the wickedand unbelieving now would stop
all ascriptions of praise to Christ. They would quench the flames of devotion
that the Holy Ghost kindles in the hearts of believers. "Praise Nature!Sing
odes to the landscape!Worship the beautiful in what your eyes see, the
tangible, that of which you have positive knowledge through the certification
of your senses!Don't be wasting your devotion on the unseen, the
unknowable, the mythical, the intangible!" — so says the Agnostic. "Do
homage to Reason!Let Reasonbe the object of your worship; its cultivation
the effort of your life! What wonders it has accomplishedin science and
philosophy!" — so says the Rationalist. "Sing of wine, feasting, sensuality!
Bacchus is our god. Praise him! Worship him!" says the Profligate. "Sing of
wars, and of victories, and of conquests!Apollo is the god whom we worship,
and whose praises we resound. Therefore, spreadyour palms with paeans of
triumph at the feet of victors!" — so sayConquerors. Standing erect, with his
thumbs thrust in the arm-holes of his vest, his chestthrown forward and his
head backward, like an oily, overfed, bigoted Pharisee, "Sing ofme," says the
Self-Righteous. "Praise the Saviour!" says the believer, and the call receives a
response.

24. (N. H. Van Arsdale.)
The stones would immediately cry out
Guilty silence in Christ's cause
W. Jay.
I. Our Saviour means to intimate, that THIS SILENCE WOULD BE VILE.
Let us, then, proceedwith this dismal business, and arraign this fearful
silence.
1. We tax it, first, with the most culpable ignorance. If you found a man, who
was entirely insensible to Milton's "Paradise Lost," orCowper's "Task,"
dead to the touches of Raffael's pencil, to all the beautiful and sublime scenery
of nature, to all that is illustrious and inspiring in human dispositionand
action, you would be ready to say, "Why, this senselessnessis enough to make
a stone speak." Butwhere are we now? Men may be undeserving of the praise
they obtain; or if the praise be deserved in the reality, it may be excessivein
the degree;but there can be no excesshere. It is impossible to ascribe titles too
magnificent, attributes too exalted, adorations too intense, to Him who is
"fairer than the children of men," who is the "chiefamong ten thousand, and
the altogetherlovely." Now to be insensible to such a Being as this, argues, not
merely a want of intellectual, but of moral taste, and evinces, not only
ignorance, but depravity. He who died, not for a country, but for the world,
and for a world of enemies — He awakens no emotion, no respect. Shame,
shame!
2. We charge this silence, secondly, with the blackestingratitude I need not
enlarge on this hateful vice. The proverb says, "Calla man ungrateful, and
you callhim everything that is bad." The Lacedaemonianspunished
ingratitude. "The ungrateful," says Locke, "are like the sea;continually
receiving the refreshing showers of heaven, and turning them all into salt."

25. "The ungrateful," says South, "are like the grave; always receiving, and never
returning." But nothing can equal your ingratitude, if you are silent. For you
will observe, that other beneficiaries may have some claim upon their
benefactors, from a community of nature or from the command of God; but
we have no claim, we are unworthy of the leastof all His mercies.
3. We tax this silence with shameful cruelty. We arc bound to do all the good
in our power. If we have ourselves receivedthe knowledge ofChrist, we are
bound to impart it. If the inhabitants of a village were dying of a disease, and
you had the remedy, and held your peace;if you saw a fellow-creature going
to drink a deadly poison, and instead of warning him you held your peace;if
you saw evena poor stranger going to pass over a deep and deadly river, upon
a broken bridge, and you knew that a little lower down there was a marble
one, and you held your peace;is there a person, that would ever pass you
without standing still and looking round upon you and exclaiming, "You
detestable wretch, you infamous villain, you ought not to live!" "If these
should hold their peace, the stones would cry out." How is it, then, that we
have so much less moral feeling than the lepers had, when they said, "This is a
goodday," and reflecting upon their starving babes said, "If we altogether
hold our peace, some evilwill befall us; let us therefore go and tell the king's
household"?
II. Secondly, our Saviour seems to intimate, that THIS SILENCE IS
DIFFICULT. Now we often express a difficulty by an obvious impossibility.
The Jews said, "LetHim come down from the cross, and we will believe on
Him." Their meaning was, that they could not believe on Him; for the
condition seemedto them impossible. The Saviour here says, "Youimpose
silence upon these disciples, but this is impossible; yes, they will hold their
peace whendumb nature shall become vocal, and not before." "If these
should hold their peace, the stones would cry out;" that is, their principles will
actuate them, their feelings must have operationand utterance. If you could
enter heaven, you would find that there He attracts every eye, and fills every

26. heart, and employs every tongue. And in the Church below there is a degree
of the same inspiration.
1. The impressions that Christ makes upon His people by conviction are very
powerful.
2. The impressions He produces by hope are very powerful.
3. The impressions He produces by love are very powerful. He so attaches His
disciples to Himself by esteemand gratitude, as to induce them to come out of
the world, to deny themselves, to take up their cross, andto be willing to
follow the Lamb whithersoeverHe goeth.
III. Our Saviour here intimates further, that THIS SILENCE WOULD BE
USELESS. "If," says He, "those of whom you complain were to hold their
peace, you would gain nothing by their silence;there would not be a cessation
of My praise, but only a change ofinstruments and voices;rather than My
praise should be suspended, what they decline others would be sure to rise up
to perform; if these should hold their peace, the stones would cry out."
1. First, we shall glance at the supposed silence.
2. And, secondly, observe the improbable instruments that are employed to
perpetuate the testimony. It is not said, "If these should hold their peace the
angels would cry out, men would cry out"; no; "the stones would cry out."
Can stones live? can stones preachand write and translate the Scriptures?
Can they aid in carrying on such a cause as this? Why not? He can employ,
and often does employ, the most unlikely characters. The wrathof man

27. praiseth Him. We see this in the case ofHenry the Eighth. It is of great
importance to know whether we are God's servants, or whether we are God's
enemies;but as to Him, He can employ one as well as another. This was the
case with Saul of Tarsus. He was a persecutoronce;but then he was called by
Divine grace, andpreach the faith that once he endeavouredto destroy. All
the Lord's people once were enemies:but He found a way into their hearts,
and He made them friends. They were all once "stones";but of these stones
God has "raisedup children unto Abraham." They were as hard as stones, as
insensible as stones, as coldas stones;but they are now flesh, and every feeling
of this flesh is alive to God.
3. Thirdly, notice the readiness of their appearance. "Ifthese should hold
their peace, the stones wouldimmediately cry out." "The King's business
requires haste";both because ofits importance, and the fleeting uncertainty
of the period in which He will allow it to be performed.
4. Then, lastly, observe the certainty of their appearance, whenthey become
necessary. The certainty of the end infers the certainty of all that is
intermediately necessaryto it. Upon this principle, our Saviour here speaks;it
is, I am persuaded, the very spirit of the passage. "Mypraise" — as if He
should say— "must prevail; and therefore means must be forthcoming to
accomplishit, and to carry it on." Let us, first, apply this certainty as the
prevention of despair. Secondly; as a check to vanity and pride. My brethren
in the ministry, we are not — no, we are not essentialto the Redeemer's cause.
We are not the Atlases upon which the Church depends; the government is
upon His shoulders who filleth all in all. Thirdly; as a spur and diligence and
zeal.
(W. Jay.)

28. All ought to praise God
J. Parker, D. D.
Have we not heard, or have I not tom you years ago, ofsome greatconductor
of a musical festival suddenly throwing up his baton and stopping the
proceedings, saying "Flageolete!" The flageoletewas notdoing its part of the
greatmusical utterance. The conductorhad an earthat heard every strain
and tone. You and I probably would have heard only the greatvolume of
music, and would have been glad to listen with entrancedattention to its
invisible charm, but the man who was all ear noted the absence ofone
instrument, and throwing up his baton, he said, "Flageolet."Stoptill we get
all that is within us into this musical offering. So I want our hymn of praise to
be sung by every man, by every power in his soul.
(J. Parker, D. D.)
COMMENTARIES
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers
(40) If these should hold their peace.—Here, then, at the very moment when
He foresaw mostclearly His own approaching end, and the failure of all
earthly hopes of the city overwhich He wept, our Lord acceptedeveryword
that disciples or multitude had uttered of Him as being in the fullest sense
true.
The stones would immediately cry out.—The startling imagery had a
precedentin the language of Habakkuk (Habakkuk 2:11), “The stone shall
cry out of the wall, and the beam out of the timber shall answerit.”

29. Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary
19:28-40 Christ has dominion over all creatures, and may use them as he
pleases. He has all men's hearts both under his eye and in his hand. Christ's
triumphs, and his disciples' joyful praises, vex proud Pharisees, who are
enemies to him and to his kingdom. But Christ, as he despises the contempt of
the proud, so he accepts the praises of the humble. Phariseeswouldsilence the
praises of Christ, but they cannot; for as God can out of stones raise up
children unto Abraham, and turn the stony heart to himself, so he can bring
praise out of the mouths of children. And what will be the feelings of men
when the Lord returns in glory to judge the world!
Barnes'Notes on the Bible
The stones would ...cryout - It is "proper" that they should celebrate my
coming. Their acclamations"ought" not to be suppressed. So joyful is the
event which they celebrate - the coming of the Messiah - that it is not fit that I
should attempt to impose silence on them. The expressionhere seems to be
"proverbial," and is not to be takenliterally. Proverbs are designedto express
the truth "strongly," but are not to be takento signify as much as if they were
to be interpreted literally. The sense is, that his coming was an event of so
much importance that it "ought" to be celebratedin some way, and "would"
be celebrated. It would be impossible to restrainthe people, and improper to
attempt it. The language here is strong proverbial language to denote that
fact. We are not to suppose, therefore, that our Saviour meant to say that the
stones were "conscious"ofhis coming, or that God would "make" them
speak, but only that there was "greatjoy" among the people; that it was
"proper" that they should express it in this manner, and that it was not fit
that he should attempt to repress it.
Jamieson-Fausset-BrownBible Commentary
40. the stones, &c.—Hitherto the Lord had discouragedall demonstrations in
His favor; latterly He had begun an opposite course;on this one occasionHe
seems to yield His whole soulto the wide and deep acclaimwith a mysterious
satisfaction, regarding it as so necessarya part of the regaldignity in which as
MessiahHe for this lasttime entered the city, that if not offeredby the vast

30. multitude, it would have been wrung out of the stones rather than be withheld
(Hab 2:11).
Matthew Poole's Commentary
See Poole on"Luke 19:39"
Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible
And he answeredand said unto them, I tell you,.... As a truth, which may be
depended on, and you may be assuredof; this he spake with greatearnestness,
fervour, and courage:
that if these should hold their peace;be silent, and not sing the praises of God,
and ascribe glory to him, and profess the Messiah, and make this public
acknowledgmentof him:
the stones wouldimmediately cry out; either againstthem, or in a declaration
of the Messiah:by which expressionour Lord means, that it was impossible it
should be otherwise;it would be intolerable if it was not; and rather than it
should not be, God, who is able out of stones to raise up children to Abraham,
would make the stones speak, orturn stones into men, who should rise up and
praise the Lord, and confess the Messiah;hereby commending his disciples,
and tacitly reflecting upon the Pharisees, fortheir stupidity; and also giving a
hint of the conversionof the Gentiles, who might be compared to stones,
especiallyin the opinion of the Jews.
Geneva Study Bible
And he answeredand said unto them, I tell you that, if these should hold their
peace, the stones would immediately cry out.

31. PRECEPTAUSTIN RESOURCES
BRUCE HURT MD
Luke 19:40 But Jesus answered, "Itell you, if these become silent, the stones
will cry out!"
Ps 96:11; 98:7-9;114:1-8;Isaiah 55:12;Habakkuk 2:11; Matthew 3:9;
21:15,16;Matthew 27:45,51-54;2 Peter2:6
Parallelaccounts ofTriumphal Entry - Mt 21:1-11;Mk 11:1-11;Lk 19:29-44,
John 12:12-19
Luke 19 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries
Luke 19:28-44 Why You Should Follow Jesus - StevenCole
Luke 19:28-40 Jesus'Humble Coronation, Part1 - John MacArthur
Luke 19:28-44 Jesus'Humble Coronation, Part2 - John MacArthur
JESUS PREDICTSA
"ROCKCONCERT!"
But Jesus answered, "Itell you, if these become silent, the stones will cry out!"
- This statementby Jesus is found only in Luke's Gospelrecordof the
"Triumphal Entry." One writer quipped that if these became silent, it would
lead to a veritable "rock concert!"
This statementreminds me of Paul's personificationof all creationin Romans
writing that because ofsin and in anticipation of redemption of creationfrom
the effects ofsin "we know that the whole creationgroans and suffers the
pains of childbirth togetheruntil now.." (Ro 8:22-note) Are you groaning for

32. the soonrevelationof His glory and your final glorificationat your future day
of redemption (cf Eph 4:30-note)?
Matthew gives a different response from Jesus to the rebuke of the Pharisees
declaring...
“Yes;have you never read, ‘OUT OF THE MOUTH OF INFANTS AND
NURSING BABIES YOU HAVE PREPAREDPRAISE FOR YOURSELF’?”
(Mt 21:16bquoting from Ps 8:2a)
Psalm8:2 From the mouth of infants and nursing babes You have established
strength BecauseofYour adversaries, To make the enemy and the revengeful
cease.
Comment: Note that Jesus quotednot from the Hebrew text but from the
Septuagint version of the OT (which is the case with the majority of the OT
quotes recordedin the NT - they quote the Greek Septuagintrather than the
Hebrew) -
Here is the Greek ofMt 21:16 "ek stomatos nepion kaithelazonton katertiso
ainon"
Here is the Greek from the Lxx of Ps 8:2 "ek stomatos nepionkai thelazonton
katertiso ainon"

33. Why would the stones have cried out? BecauseGoddid not want the children
of Israel to miss THE MESSIAH! (Ps 96:11-13 98:7-9 Isa 55:12 Mt 3:9 Mt
27:54 Hab 2:11)
One writer says in one sense the stones criedout in Matthew 27:51-52
And behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the
earth shook and the rocks were split. The tombs were opened, and many
bodies of the saints who had fallen asleepwere raised;
Another stone that "cried out" was the one that was rolled from the entrance
of the tomb in Matthew 28:2
And behold, a severe earthquake had occurred, for an angelof the Lord
descendedfrom heavenand came and rolled away the stone and sat upon it.
Comment: This stone has in a sense being crying out ever since proclaiming
the Messiahis alive! In fact a well knownbook was written about this event
entitled "Who Moved the Stone?" by Frank Morison.
Henry Morris - Even the inanimate creationis under God's control for He
made it, and the opposition of mere men to the fulfillment of prophecy is no
impediment to the Creatorand Sustainerof all things. When God created
Adam, He breathed life into the dust of the ground; He could do the same for
stones if need be. (Defender's Study Bible)

34. W A Criswell- If men will not recognize the significance ofthis day, the rocks
will find a voice to praise Jesus (Hab. 2:11). (Believer's Study Bible)
Matthew Henry - Christ's triumphs, and his disciples'joyful praises, vex
proud Pharisees, who are enemies to him and to his kingdom. But Christ, as
he despises the contempt of the proud, so he accepts the praises of the humble.
Pharisees wouldsilence the praises of Christ, but they cannot;for as God can
out of stones raise up children unto Abraham, and turn the stony heart to
himself, so he can bring praise out of the mouths of children. And what will be
the feelings of men when the Lord returns in glory to judge the world!
Brian Bill - I listened to a sermon snippet this week by Kempton Turner. He
said that when God calledthe frogs in the plague, they said, “ribit…yes,
Lord.” When Godcalled the flies, they said, “buzz…yes, Lord.” When God
calleda big fish to swallow a rebellious prophet, the whale opened his mouth
and said, “Yes, Lord.” They all said, “Yes, Lord.” In our passagefortoday,
the donkeyobeyed and declared, “Hee-haw, hee-haw. Yes, Lord.” The rocks
were ready to roll, “Yes, Lord.” And in Matthew 21:15 we read that the chief
priests were indignant when they heard the children saying “Yes, Lord” by
shouting out in the temple area, “Hosanna to the Son of David.” I love how
Jesus correctsthem by quoting Psalm8:2: “Fromthe lips of children and
infants you have ordained praise.” How are you doing at giving what Jesus
wants – even when it’s not easy? Do you have moments in your schedule in
which you stop and break out into adoration? When you come here on
Sundays to worship collectivelywith others is it the culmination of a week of
personalworship experiences oris it your only time of praise? Friends, God
can make the stones cry out -- but He’d rather have men and women and boys
and girls who worship Him spontaneously, loudly, and regularly! (Sermon)
Spurgeon's Devotionalon Lk 19:40 - But could the stones cry out? Assuredly
they could if he who opens the mouth of the dumb should bid them lift up

35. their voice. Certainly if they were to speak, they would have much to testify in
praise of him who createdthem by the word of his power; they could extol the
wisdom and powerof their Makerwho calledthem into being. Shall not we
speak wellof him who made us anew, and out of stones raisedup children
unto Abraham? The old rocks could tell of chaos and order, and the
handiwork of God in successive stages ofcreation's drama; and cannot we
talk of God's decrees, ofGod's great work in ancient times, in all that he did
for his church in the days of old? If the stones were to speak, they could tell of
their breaker, how he took them from the quarry, and made them fit for the
temple, and cannot we tell of our glorious Breaker, who broke our hearts with
the hammer of his word, that he might build us into his temple? If the stones
should cry out they would magnify their builder, who polished them and
fashionedthem after the similitude of a palace;and shall not we talk of our
Architect and Builder, who has put us in our place in the temple of the living
God? If the stones could cry out, they might have a long, long story to tell by
way of memorial, for many a time hath a greatstone been rolled as a
memorial before the Lord; and we too cantestify of Ebenezers, stones ofhelp,
pillars of remembrance. The broken stones ofthe law cry out againstus, but
Christ himself, who has rolled awaythe stone from the door of the sepulchre,
speaks forus. Stones might well cry out, but we will not let them: we will hush
their noise with ours; we will break forth into sacredsong, and bless the
majesty of the MostHigh, all our days glorifying him who is calledby Jacob
the Shepherd and Stone of Israel.
Stones Cry Out
Read:Luke 19:28-40
Subscribe to iTunes

36. I tell you that if these should keepsilent, the stones would immediately cry
out. —Luke 19:40
Every year it seems that Christmas becomes more and more commercialized.
Even in nations where the majority of people call themselves “Christian,” the
seasonhas become more about shopping than worshiping. The pressure to
buy gifts and plan elaborate parties makes it increasinglydifficult to stay
focusedon the real meaning of the holiday—the birth of Jesus, God’s only
Son, the Savior of the world.
But every holiday I also hearthe gospelcoming from surprising places —the
very places that so commercialize Christmas—shopping malls. When I hear
“Joyto the World! The Lord is come;let earth receive her King” ringing
from public address systems, I think of the words Jesus saidto the Pharisees
who told Him to silence the crowds who were praising Him. “If they keep
quiet,” Jesus said, “the stones will cry out” (Luke 19:40 niv).
At Christmas we hear stones cry out. Even people spiritually dead sing carols
written by Christians long dead, reminding us that no matter how hard people
try to squelch the real messageofChristmas, they will never succeed.
Despite the commercialismthat threatens to muddle the message ofChrist’s
birth, God will make His goodnews knownas “far as the curse is found.”
No more let sins and sorrows grow,
Nor thorns infest the ground;
He comes to make His blessings flow
Far as the curse is found.

37. —Watts
Keeping Christ out of Christmas is as futile as holding back the ocean’s tide.
By Julie AckermanLink (Our Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries,
Grand Rapids, MI. — Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved)
The Stones Cry Out
Read:Luke 19:29-40
If these should keepsilent, the stones would immediately cry out. —Luke
19:40
I receiveda letter from a woman who told me she had grownup in a troubled
home. At an early age she ran away, begana life of crime, and spent time in
jail. Later, ensnared by drugs, she felt that the only way out of her sin-
darkenedlife was suicide.
At that point, because ofthe witness of two women who told her about Jesus,
she put her trust in the Saviorand found a reasonfor living. Soonshe wanted
to tell others about Jesus. She had some artistic ability, so she beganto paint
Bible verses and spiritual sayings on smoothstones she collectedfrom
beaches. She soldthem and used the money to aid missionary causes.Those
stones were her way of telling others about Jesus.

38. This woman’s story reminds me of what Jesus saidas He approached
Jerusalema few days before His crucifixion. The multitude declared, “Blessed
is the King who comes in the name of the Lord!” (Luke 19:38). When the
Pharisees toldJesus to quiet the crowd, He said that if the people were
silenced, even the stones would cry out (v.40).
Of course, Jesus wasn’ttalking about painted stones, but it is still true that
even if our verbal witness is silenced, there are all sorts of ways to tell others
about Christ. What “stones”canyou use to tell others of your Savior and
King?
Through transformed eyes, Lord, help us see
A world of people in despair,
And help us reachthem with Your love,
To show them that we really care. —Sper
I'm just a nobody telling everybody about Somebodywho can save anybody!
By Henry G. Bosch(Our Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand
Rapids, MI. — Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved)
PastorAlan Carr has a sermon entitled IF THE STONES COULD TALK
Palestine is filled with stones. Jesus had a lot of contactwith rocks and stones
during His ministry. He walkedon them, sat on them, prayed on them, wept
on them and bled on them. If those stones that Jesus came into contactwith
could talk, what stories would they tell? Today, as God gives me liberty, I am

39. going to take you to severalplaces when Jesus came in contactwith stones. If
stones could talk these would have a greatstory to tell. Let’s see if we can hear
it today.
I. Mt. 4:3-4 STONES ON THE MOUNT OF TEMPTATION Theytalk of His
Sinless Nature
2 Pet. 2:22; 2 Cor. 5:21 When innocent blood was shedon Calvary, sin and
Satanwere forever defeated!
He is still our Holy Savior today!
II. John 2:6 STONESAT THE MARRIAGE OF CANA They talk of His
Provision
Phil. 4:19 – He is still Jehovah-Jireh, "The LORD will see to it!" He is still "I
AM" – Ex. 3:14
He is worthy of your faith!
III. John 4:6 STONES AT JACOB’S WELL They talk of His Mission
He picked the worse one in town to demonstrate his greatpurpose – Luke
19:10;Mark 2:17
He still loves old sinners today.
He is still seeking and saving all who come to Him – John 6:37
His mission is also ours – Mark 16:15;Acts 1:8
IV. John 8:7 STONESIN THE TEMPLE COURT Theytalk of His
Forgiveness

40. He is a forgiving Savior – Ps 103:12
When a sinner comes to Him, He gives full justification – 1 Cor. 6:9-11
V. John 11:39-44 STONES AT THE TOMB OF LAZARUS They talk of His
Power
He has the powerto raise the physically dead and the spiritually dead as well!
He is capable of raising up hell bound sinners Ep 3:20; Mt. 28:18.
He can take a life ruined and wrecked by sin, touch it by His grace and make
it over again.
The touch of the Master’s hand.
VI. Lk. 19:40 STONESAROUND JERUSALEM They talk of His Glory
The context. Jesus was being praised and glorified and the religious elite got
upset over it. He is still worthy and they still get upset. But, we still need to be
actively praising His Name.
Praise is a command and not an option – Ps. 47:1; Heb. 13:15.
Don’t feel like it – Do you reckonJobdid? Job 1:20-21!
I don’t want the stones doing my shouting. How about you?
VII. Luke 22:41 STONESIN GETHSEMANETheytalk of His Agony
He battled Satanic attack infinitely more intense than what He facedon the
Mt. Of Temptation, but He prevailed and drank from the bitter cup so that
you and I might taste the sweetnectarof salvation.

41. Satantried to kill Him, but He was victorious. Calvary was His goaland when
He reachedthe cross, He finished the business He came here to do – John
19:30
VIII. Mt. 28:1-6 STONES AT THE GARDEN TOMB They talk of His
Resurrection
Yes, He died, but He rose up again – Matt. 28:6. Now, He lives foreverto
make intercessionfor His people – Heb. 7:25. Yes, I am glad that Jesus died
on the cross, but I am more glad that He rose from the dead. A dead Savior
saves on one!
Col. 3:3 – Our lives are tied with His. We will only live as long as Jesus does!
IX. Acts 1:10-11 STONES ON THE MOUNT OF OLIVES They talk of His
Return
He ascendedback to the Father, but He left us the blessedhope and promise
of His return – John 14:1-3;1 Th 4:16-18, Zechariah14:4-note
Get ready, for this year might just be the year when the Saviorreturns to
claim His people.
The question is: Are you ready?
Conclusion- If the stones couldspeak you know what they would be saying?
Just the same things that you and I ought to be saying today. As we stand here
on the threshold of a New Year, we ought to get about the business of
declaring His greatness to a lostand dying world. If the stones were to speak,
they would be doing our job. Let’s get busy for Jesus and spread the message
of His saving grace.

42. ALAN CARR
Luke 19:28-40 IF THE STONESCOULD TALK
Intro: Ill. The Context. Ill. Palestine is filled with stones. Jesus hada lot of
contactwith rocks and stones during His ministry. He walkedon the, sat on
them, prayed on them, wept on them and bled on them. If those stones that
Jesus came into contactwith could talk, what stories would they tell? Today,
as God gives me liberty, I am going to take you to severalplaces whenJesus
came in contactwith stones. If stones could talk these would have a great story
to tell. Let’s see if we canhear it today.
I. Mt. 4:3-4 STONES ON THE MOUNT OF TEMPTATION
They talk of His Sinless Nature
(Ill. 2 Pet. 2:22; 2 Cor. 5:21) When innocent blood was shed on Calvary, sin
and Satanwere forever defeated!) (Ill. He is still our Holy Saviortoday!)
II. John 2:6 STONESAT THE MARRIAGE OF CANA
They talk of His Provision
(Ill. Phil. 4:19 – He is still Jehovah-Jireh, "The LORD will see to it!" He is still
"I AM" – Ex. 3:14) (Ill. He is worthy of your faith!)
III. John 4:6 STONES AT JACOB’S WELL
They talk of His Mission

43. (Ill. He pickedthe worse one in town to demonstrate his greatpurpose – Luke
19:10;Mark 2:17 – Ill. He still loves old sinners today.) (Ill. He is still seeking
and saving all who come to Him – John 6:37!) (Ill. His mission is also ours –
Mark 16:15; Acts 1:8)
IV. John 8:7 STONESIN THE TEMPLE COURT
They talk of His Forgiveness
(Ill. He is a forgiving Savior – Psa. 103:12 andso on!) (Ill. When a sinner
comes to Him, He gives full justification – 1 Cor. 6:9-11 and so on!)
V. John 11:39-44 STONES AT THE TOMB OF LAZARUS
They talk of His Power
(Ill. He has the powerto raise the physically dead and the spiritually dead as
well! He is capable of raising up hell bound sinners – Eph. 3:20; Matt. 28:18.
Ill. He can take a life ruined and wreckedby sin, touch it by His grace and
make it over again.)(Ill. The touch of the Master’s hand.)
VI. Lk. 19:40 STONESAROUND JERUSALEM
They talk of His Glory
(Ill. The context. Jesus was being praisedand glorified and the religious elite
got upset over it. He is still worthy and they still getupset. But, we still need to
be actively praising His Name.)(Ill. Praise is a command and not an option –
Psa. 47:1; Heb. 13:15. Ill. Don’t feel like it – Do you reckonJobdid? Job 1:20-
21!)(Ill. I don’t want the stones doing my shouting. How about you?)

44. VII. Luke 22:41 STONESIN GETHSEMANE
They talk of His Agony
(Ill. He battled Satanic attack infinitely more intense than what He faced on
the Mt. Of Temptation, but He prevailed and drank from the bitter cup so
that you and I might taste the sweetnectarof salvation..)(Ill. Satan tried to
kill Him, but He was victorious. Calvary was His goaland when He reached
the cross, He finished the business He came here to do – John 19:30.)
VIII. Matt. 28:1-6 STONES AT THE GARDEN TOMB
They talk of His Resurrection
(Yes, He died, but He rose up again – Matt. 28:6. Now, He lives foreverto
make intercessionfor His people – Heb. 7:25. Yes, I am glad that Jesus died
on the cross, but I am more glad that He rose from the dead. A dead Savior
saves on one!Ill. Col. 3:3 – Our lives are tied with His. We will only live as
long as Jesus does!)
IX. Acts 1:10-11 STONES ON THE MOUNT OF OLIVES
They talk of His Return
(Ill. He ascendedback to the Father, but He left us the blessedhope and
promise of His return – John 14:1-3;1 Thes. 4:16-18.)(Get ready, for 1998
might just be the year when the Saviorreturns to claim His people.) The
question is: Are you ready?

45. Conc:If the stones could speak you know what they would be saying? Just the
same things that you and I ought to be saying today. As we stand here on the
threshold of a New Year, we ought to get about the business of declaring His
greatness to a lostand dying world. If the stones were to speak, they would be
doing our job. Let’s get busy for Jesus and spread the messageofHis saving
grace.
THOMAS CONSTABLE
Verse 40
However, Jesus refusedto silence the disciples. They spoke the truth. The
figure of stones crying out (personification) stresses the appropriateness of the
disciples crying out. If the disciples kept silence, the stones would need to
declare who Jesus was insteadof them. This clearmessianic claim is unique to
Luke. It shows the blatant rejectionof Israel"s leaders in the face of
indisputable evidence that Jesus was the Messiah.
"All history had pointed toward this single, spectaculareventwhen the
Messiahpublicly presented Himself to the nation, and God desired that this
fact be acknowledged."[Note:Martin, p253.]
The Triumphal Entry is only the secondincident in Jesus" ministry that all
four evangelists recorded, the first being the feeding of the5 ,000. This
indicates its greatimportance in God"s messianic program.

46. MATTHEW HENRY
Whether men praise Christ or no he will, and shall, and must be praised
(Luke 19:40): If these should hold their peace, and not speak the praises of the
Messiah's kingdom, the stones would immediately cry out, rather than that
Christ should not be praised. This was, in effect, literally fulfilled, when, upon
men's reviling Christ upon the cross, insteadof praising him, and his own
disciples'sinking into a profound silence, the earth did quake and the rocks
rent. Phariseeswouldsilence the praises ofChrist, but they cannot gain their
point for as God can out of stones raise up children unto Abraham, so he can
out of the mouths of those children perfectpraise.
JAMIESON, FAUSSET, BROWN
Verse 40
the stones, etc. — Hitherto the Lord had discouragedalldemonstrations in
His favor; latterly He had begun an opposite course;on this one occasionHe
seems to yield His whole soulto the wide and deep acclaimwith a mysterious
satisfaction, regarding it as so necessarya part of the regaldignity in which as
MessiahHe for this lasttime entered the city, that if not offeredby the vast
multitude, it would have been wrung out of the stones rather than be withheld
(Habakkuk 2:11).
JOHN MACARTHUR
Jesus'Humble Coronation, Part 2
Sermons Luke 19:28–44 42-242 May6, 2007
A + A - RESET

47. Let's open our Bibles now to the study of the Word of God, to the 19th
chapter of Luke, Luke chapter 19. And we are returning to the text of
Scripture that describes what is commonly known as our Lord's triumphal
entry, His entry into Jerusalemfor the last time where He is hailed by the
crowds as the Messiah. Itbegins in verse 28. Let me read this text againto
you. This is part 2 of what we beganlast week.
"After He had said these things, He was going on ahead, ascending to
Jerusalem. And it came about that when He approachedBethphage and
Bethany near the mount that is calledOlivet, He sent two of the disciples
saying, 'Go into the village opposite you in which as you enter you will find a
colt tied on which no one yet has eversat. Untie it and bring it here. And if
anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ thus shall you speak, ‘The Lord
has need of it.' And those who were sentwent away and found it just as He
had told them. And as they were untying the colt, its owners said to them,
'Why are you untying the colt?'And they said, 'The Lord has need of it.' And
they brought it to Jesus and they threw their garments on the colt and put
Jesus on it. And as He was going, they were spreading their garments in the
road. And as He was now approaching near the descentof the Mount of
Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to praise Godjoyfully with
a loud voice for all the miracles which they had seen, saying, 'Blessedis the
King who comes in the name of the Lord. Peacein heaven and glory in the
highest.' And some of the Pharisees andthe multitudes saidto Him, 'Teacher,
rebuke Your disciples.' And He answeredand said, 'I tell you, if these become
silent, the stones will cry out.' And when He approached, He saw the city and
wept over it, saying, 'If you had knownin this day, even you, the things which
make for peace, but now they have been hidden from your eyes, for the days
shall come upon you when your enemies will throw up a bank before you and
surround you and hem you in on every side and will level you to the ground
and your children within you. They will not leave in you one stone upon
another because you did not recognize the time of your visitation.'"
This has to be the most unique, the most unparalleled coronationever. First
of all, as we noted last week, it is humble in all its aspects andthat is unique
for a coronation. Butbeyond that, it is also unique because there is such irony

48. in it, such stunning contrastbetweenthe commendation of Jesus by the people
and the condemnation of the people by Jesus.
On the one hand, it is large and enthusiastic acclamationand admiration. On
the other hand, it is shallow and hypocritical.
On the one hand, it is generatedby the people's joyful hope of a immediate
victory over their enemies. Onthe other hand, it is met by the King's
sorrowfulpronouncement of disasterand doom in the coming defeat by their
enemies.
On the one hand it is the people's eagerdesire to enjoy the glories of total
triumph and the arrival of the Kingdom of God. On the other hand, our Lord
pronounces on them the agonies oftotal conquestin the arrival, not of the
Kingdom of God, but of the judgment of God.
The contrastbetweenwhat the people expect and what they will receive is
vast. The contrastbetweenthe attitude of the people, one of joy; and the
attitude of Jesus, one of sorrow, couldn't be more distinct. The words of the
people are words of celebration. The words of Jesus are words of
condemnation. The people expect the best. He pronounces the worst. They
want exaltation. He promises devastation. Theyexpect a conquering hero.
They get a condemning judge. Surely there has never been a coronationlike
this where at the very event itself, the King being offeredthe throne, refuses it
and turns on His people to bring destruction. There's never been a coronation
like this.
As we return to the event, a little bit of backgroundhistory. A few weeks
before this, Jesus had performed one of His most notable miracles, the raising
of Lazarus from the dead. It occurred in Bethany, that little village two miles
eastof Jerusalemon the road to Jericho. Enoughtime had gone by that
Lazarus had well circulated in the world and everybody essentiallyknew of
this remarkable resurrection.
After raising Lazarus from the dead a few weeks earlierJesus thenleft Judea
and the surroundings of Bethany and Jerusalemto head north into Galilee.
He had spent a few weeks in Galilee and now has begun moving south. He

49. comes acrossthe Jordan to the east, down through Perea eastofthe Jordan, a
little north of Jericho, crossesthe Jordan to come back on to the side of Judea,
enters the city of Jericho. Bynow He is surrounded by a large crowd.
There's a steadyflow of pilgrims coming that way anyway to the Passover. It
could have as many as two million Jews in and around Jerusalemat that time,
a steady flow and the crowdaround Him largerthan most, of course, because
of who He was and the miracles He had performed. And the crowdwould
grow and grow as more pilgrims joined the stream. Spent two days in
Jericho, that city down by the DeadSea at the foot of the great mountain that
ascends to Jerusalem;there He had healed two blind beggars and savedthem
from their sins. They were now His disciples and joined the crowd to follow
with Him. He also brought salvationto the home of the chief tax collector
there, a man named Zacchaeus who in a demonstration of his transformed
heart actedwith generositytoward everyone he had stolenfrom.
And so, after His experience in Jericho and the salvationof those three it is
time to ascendthe hill to Jerusalem. It's almost4,000 feetup, about seventeen
miles to Jerusalem. He walked that path. It was a road, really. It has always
been a road, but it now was a Roman road and the Romans had paved it and
turned it into a military road and it was carefully guarded. Up that road
came Jesus, not alone by any means, but surrounded by His disciples, His
apostles, those who truly believed in Him, those who were curious about who
He was and an accumulating crowdof pilgrims.
In John chapter 12 and verse 1, we are told that He arrived at Bethany six
days before the Passover, sixdays before the Passover. Thatwouldput it on
Saturday, since the Passoverwas onFriday. On that Saturday when He
arrived in Bethany, a supper was given in His honor. John tells us the story of
that supper in chapter 12. Thatnight, that Saturday, He had only six days left
before His crucifixion, six days before the hard, cruel walk carrying the cross
up to Golgotha, sixdays before the spitting and the mocking and the hating
and the beating and the nails and the thorns and the sin-bearing and the God-
forsakenexperience ofbeing crucified as God's chosenLamb fit for sacrifice,
only six days left. He seeksthe fellowship, the love, the affection, the
encouragement, the comfort of familiar friends, the disciples and His dear
friends Mary, Martha, and Lazarus who lived in Bethany. But even there the

50. fellowship is marred because Judas is there, ever presentwith stinging stabs
of betrayal, a constantreminder of what was to come.
On the next day, the Sunday of that week, the word by then had circulatedall
around the area, including into the city of Jerusalemthat Jesus was there at
the house of Lazarus. And so John, chapter 12 verses 9 to 11, tell us the
crowdcame flowing out of the easterngate of Jerusalem, the two miles down
to Bethany to see both Jesus and this resurrectedLazarus. So Sunday was
spent with His disciples, with His friends and surrounded by the crowds who
were so curious to see the man who was dead and the one who had raised
Him.
Monday, the next day, He enters Jerusalem. Thatis the day described here in
this text. The entry of Jesus into Jerusalemis triggeredby His own words in
verse 30. He says to two of His disciples, perhaps Peterand John since He
commissions those two in chapter 22 verse 8 on another task, perhaps it was
them, but anyway to two of them He says, "Go into the village opposite you,
you'll find a colt tied, untie it, bring it here. If they question you, say, 'The
Lord has need of it.'" That command launched His entry. He is in total
control of every detail in His life and ministry. He’s on a divine timetable.
He's doing things preciselywhen God wants them done and as God
determines they are to be done. He follows perfectly the will of His Father.
He knows that He is about to start a massive demonstration. The city is filled
with these hundreds of thousands of pilgrims who have come there.
Everybody knows about Him first-hand, second-hand, third-hand because of
the three years of extensive miracles throughout the land of Israel. He knows
that when this begins, it will escalate rapidly. Some have estimatedthat the
crowdsurrounding Him as He comes into the city could have been well over
200 thousand people.
Now Jesus neverallowedsuch a massive demonstration in His entire ministry
because He knew it would precipitate escalatedfury and angeron the part of
the religious leaders who had wanted Him dead for a long, long time. A
display like this would speedup everything toward them completing their
mission of His execution. Up until now, He didn't want it to happen. But now
He did. Now was the time. This was the city. This was the week. Infact,

51. Friday would be the day. And He sets this demonstration in motion to move
everything towardHis own crucifixion on Friday because that's the day when
the Passoverlambs were slain and that's the day He would be slain as the true
and only Lamb of God who takes awaythe sin of the world. His timing is
impeccable. It is also the day, Monday, when the families took the lamb they
were to have slain on the Passoverinto the house, the lamb that would become
a pet of the family, endearing itself to the family to be then slaughteredas a
symbol of sacrifice for the sins of the family. And so He offers Himself, as it
were, to the family of Israel on the very day when they were taking in their
lambs and He would die on the very day when the lambs would be slain.
His timing is also perfect because Daniel9 verses 24 to 27 saidin the prophecy
that there would be sixty-nine times seven years, weeksofyears, sixty-nine
times sevenuntil Messiahwould come and be cut off. Sixty-nine times seven is
483 years. They calculatedyears at 360 days a year; 483 years at 360 days
totals 173,880. So fromthe beginning until the Messiahcomes to be cut off,
you have this duration of 483 years of 360 days. That's prophesiedin Daniel
9:24 to 27. When does it start? It started with a decree to rebuild Jerusalem.
When was that? 445 B. C. Declaredby Artaxerxes and preciselyfrom then
until this week and this day is the 483 years. He comes in perfect fulfillment
of Daniel's prophecy. Everything is in line. And so He triggers the event
Himself by sending the disciples to get the animal which He will ride into the
city.
Though His coronationis humble, He comes riding on the colt, the foal of an
ass, the foal of a donkey, as the prophet said, and though there are no crowns
for Him, and though there are no dignitaries and there is not the usual regalia
that occurs at a coronation, and though the people are fickle and though they
are shallow and superficial and though they are hypocritical, and though they
only cry "Hosanna" to Him this day and soonafter are screaming for His
blood, in spite of the shallownessand superficiality of this event, He is
nonetheless God's true King. He is God's true King. And it manifests itself in
this coronationin three ways:preparation, adoration, and condemnation.
Last time we lookedat preparation in verses 28 to 35. The very fact that He
sent them to get that animal and to bring the animal and He rode in on the

52. animal, as I pointed out to you, is a fulfillment of Zechariah9:9, very specific
prophecy. Matthew's accountof the triumphal entry refers to that prophecy,
Matthew 21. John's accountrefers to that prophecy in John 12. He comes
vindicating that He is the Messiahby the fulfillment of Old Testament
prophecy. Also, He demonstrates His omniscience. He knew about the
animal, though He couldn't see the animal. He knew where it was. He knew it
was tied there. He knew what the conversationwith the owners would be like.
He demonstrates againHis deity and His messiahship in those elements of the
preparation for His entry.
Secondly, we saw last time adoration, which also points to His deity and
messiahship, and we saw that in verses 36 to 38. He receives the worship and
the adorationthat the people give Him. It comes from Psalm118, part of the
Hallel. This is a coronationPsalm. They are celebrating Him as God's great,
glorious King. They say, "Blessedis the King who comes in the name of the
Lord!" Matthew adds that they said, "Hosanna to the Son of David!" Mark
adds, they said, "Blessedis the coming kingdom of David! Hosanna in the
highest!" All of those things were being said. Obviously from the text, the
disciples initiated all of that. They were the ones, according to verse 37, who
beganto praise God joyfully with a loud voice, thinking: Surely this is the
moment when He is going to come as the conquering hero, the conquering
Messiah, setup the kingdom, defeatour enemies. They start the celebration.
The crowdcatches the fever and they all begin to cry out the same things,
pointing to Jesus as the Messiah. He receives it. He takes it because He
deserves it. So we see that He is who He is by way of preparation,
omniscience. Fulfilling prophecy He is who He is demonstrated by adoration.
He receives worshipwillingly because He deserves it.
Now the leaders see it as blasphemy. They don't think He deserves to be
worshiped and adored in this way, and they let it be known in verse 39.
"Some of the Pharisees,"and by the way, this is the last time we'll see that
word, or see them specificallyin Luke's gospel. This is their final comment.
"Some of the Pharisees and the multitude saidto Him, 'Teacher, rebuke Your
disciples.'" Theysaw this adoration, this acclamationcoming to Jesus as
blasphemy, as do all Christ rejecters. They're outragedat this messianic
honor being given to Jesus and being receivedby Him as if He is worthy of it.

53. They know they can't control the crowd, it's too huge. And it's exuberant,
and in a sense, outof control. There's only one who could do that. They know
who that is, they go to Him and they say, "Teacher," atleastshowing Him
some respect, "rebuke Your disciples.” Theysure should be rebuked because
they are ascribing to You that which You are not due. They ask Jesus to
silence His disciples who are instigating this celebrationand leading the
adoration.
His reply is the turning point in this event. It is a stunning reply and it takes
us to the third point. He demonstrates His messiahship in the preparation, the
adoration, and the condemnation. Verse 40:"He answeredand said, 'I tell you,
if these become silent, the stones will cry out.'" And then He goes on to
pronounce judgment. He vindicates Himself as the Messiahin preparation,
omniscience and the fulfillment of prophecy; in adoration, receiving worship;
and in condemnation He possessesthe authority to pronounce judgment, and
He knows the future. You see His deity here in knowing about an animal that
He cannot see, not visible to His eyes, being in a place, a precise place. He
knows what only supernatural can know;only God can know, about the
present, where that animal is. He also knows what only God could know
about the future, the very judgment that is to come. He is then the Messiah,
the omniscientone who fulfills Old Testamentprophecy, who knows things in
the presentthat no one can know, and who determines the future and has a
right to judge.
In John chapter 5, a most notable and important text, Jesus declaresthese
words, and they are specificallyrelated to judgment. Verse 20, "The Father
loves the Son," John 5:20, "shows Him all things that He Himself is doing.
Greaterworks than these will He show you that you may marvel for just as
the Fatherraises the dead and gives them life, so the Son also gives life to
whom He wishes. Fornot even the Fatherjudges anyone, but He has given all
judgment to the Son." The Songives life. The Son takes life. The Son judges;
He is the sovereignone who knows the future. He is the sovereignone who
brings judgment. From this point on, the scene moves from joy to horror,
from the highestto the lowest. Theyare crying peace, He speaks of
destruction. Theypronounce on Him glory, He pronounces on them doom.
The whole ending is stunning, it is shocking. It is tragic. For the first time He

54. allows this kind of event to take place and at its apex, He turns it in the
direction opposite what the people expect. They're adoring Him for what they
want Him to be. He tells them He will be something very different than that.
Now notice verse 40, "I tell you," for emphasis, "I tell you, if these become
silent..." Stopthere. These people, if they become silent, if their praise stops,
all this praise, all this shouting, all this exaltation will end.
It did. In fact, you don't hear any of it after Monday. You don't hear it on
Tuesday. You don't hear it on Wednesday. The next time you hear the crowd
is on Friday and on Friday they are saying a very different thing. If you look
over to the 23rd chapter of Luke, you get a little glance. You could also look at
Matthew 27 and get the same. But in verse 18, start there, they all cried out
together. This is the mass of people gatheredbefore Pilate. They all cried out
together, saying, "Away with this man! Release forus Barabbas." Who is
Barabbas? “One who had been thrown into prison for a certain insurrection
made in the city and for murder.” They wanted a murderer to be released,
rather than Jesus. And Pilate, wanting to release Jesus, verse 20, addressed
them, saying...addressedthem again, "They kept on calling out, saying,
'Crucify, crucify Him.'" The same kind of mob hysteria. He said to them a
third time, "Why? Whatevil has this man done? I found in Him no guilt
demanding death. I will therefore punish Him and release Him. But they
were insistent with loud voices, asking thatHe be crucified and their voices
beganto prevail and Pilate pronounced sentence."
If these become silent, and they will...whenthese become silent...since these
will become silent, the stones will cry out. It needs to be noted that the silence
of Israel has not yet been broken. The Tuesdayof that week, whenthe crowd
fell silent, launched millennia of a refusal on the part of Israelto acknowledge
Jesus as their Messiah. How fickle they were. A few days later they're saying,
"Crucify Him, crucify Him.” Give us a criminal. Give us a murderer. We
don't want Jesus. They're still saying it these 2,000 years later. When that
crowdfell silent, that nation fell silent...andthey're still silent.
The opposition to Jesus was so strong that even after the resurrectionfrom
the dead, the praise of Jesus was neverraisedin the city of Jerusalem, or in

55. the land of Israel, exceptamong the few thousand who were saved. When
Jerusalemgrew silent, Jesus said, "The stones will cry out." Cry out, kraz,
scream, future tense, when in the future these people become silent, in the
future the stones will scream. Screaming stones? Whatis that? What is
that? It's more than just the expressionof praise from some inanimate object,
as if God is to be praised by His creation, far more than that. In fact, in the
little prophecy of Habakkuk, chapter 2, we have a very goodparallel. In the
prophecy of Habakkuk we have a statementof judgment on the Chaldeans,
the Chaldeans, the wicked, paganChaldeans. And the Chaldeans had
basicallyprospered as a society, but they had prosperedat the expense of
other nations, they had prospered by extortion, they had prospered by usury,
charging exorbitant interest rate, they had prosperedby murder and
bloodshed. They had literally built their towns and cities by the sacrifice and
the slaughterand the abuse of other people. So Habakkuk, the prophet, is
given a message fromGod of judgment againstthem. I just want to pick out
one verse;that is in verse 11. "Surely the stone will cry out from the wall and
the rafter will answerit from the framework." Thenverse 12, "Woe to him
who builds a city with bloodshed and founds a town with violence." The
stones in the houses and the buildings that they built were symbols of their
wickedness. The walls oftheir houses and the timbers of their roofs,
plundered from others, gainedby bloodshedand usury, screamof their
wickedness, screamof their guilt. And Jesus is saying the same thing here.
There are going to be some stones who will cry out againstyou as the stones in
the pastcried out of the guilt of the Chaldeans. All you had to do was look at
their houses and when you saw them, all their prosperity, all their edifices
were testimonies to their corruption and bloodshed. The stones criedout of
their guilt and the judgment of God upon them, and some stones are going to
do the same in your case. That's explained in the next section, verse 41.
"When He approachedHe saw the city and wept over it."
There are a number of words for weeping. One of them, one of the Greek
words, is used in John 11:35 over Lazarus, "Jesus wept." Thatis a...a simple
word for weeping. This is a much stronger word, in factthis is the strongest
word in the Greek language. It would be equal to our word "sobbing,
heaving." Very strong, the strongest, a heaving, sobbing, agonizing,

56. wrenching expressionof sorrow;no strongerword exists. Jesus sees
Jerusalemand He's rackedwith agony. He begins to heave and sob. This is
part of the tears and strong crying, I think, that Hebrews 5:7 encompasses.
He is agonizedover their superficiality. You would think He would be happy
with all this attention at that moment, right? It all lookedgood. ButHe could
see through it. He wept in the face of their hypocrisy and their shallowness
and their rejectionin a few days which He was wellaware was coming. And
He wept because He knew what would come after that. And He wept because
He knew their damnation was coming.
Listen to what He said. "Saying," andthis is sorrowful, heart-breaking: “’If
you had knownin this day, even you, the things which make for peace.’" Not
talking about peace with Rome, not talking about political peace, nottalking
about internal socialpeace, He's talking about peace with God. "If you had
only known; if you had only known the things that make for peace."What
makes for peace? Repentance,faith in Christ, believing the message ofthe
kingdom; He had preachedit from the very beginning. He preached
repentance and the kingdom, how to come into the Kingdom through faith in
Him, repentance from sin. He had preached it all along. I'm not going to take
you back through the gospelof Luke, but you can go all the way back to
chapter 4, chapter5, chapter 6, chapter7, chapter 8, all the waythrough and
see Jesus offering them againand againand againand again, the goodnews of
peace with God.
If you had known, if you had understood, if you had embracedand believed
this day. What day is He talking about? He's not talking about Monday, that
day. This day, the time of My presence in your nation, if you had only
understood and believed in this incredible hour in which I have moved among
you, if you had only believed the things that make for peace, the salvation
message. That's salvationlanguage, peacewith God, reconciliation, the gospel.
But unbelief had blinded them all the way along. They chose to be
unbelieving, hard-hearted, self-righteous rejecters ofChrist. He gave
invitation after invitation after invitation. They rejectedthem all and
therefore they rejectedpeace, peace withGod.

57. He had already pronounced doom on them at the end of chapter 13. "Oh
Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets, stones those sentto her,
how often I wanted to gatheryour children togetherjust as a hen gathers her
brood under her wings. You wouldn't have it. Behold, your house is left to
you desolate." ThenHe added, "You'll not see Me until the time comes when
you say, 'Blessedis He who comes in the name of the Lord.'" You're never
going to see Me until you finally turn and believe. That hasn't happened yet.
The judgment pronounced here is still in place. Israeltoday currently is
under divine judgment. Are they God's chosenpeople for a future salvation?
Yes. Will He preserve them as a people unto that salvation? Yes. But
currently they are under the same judgment that launched againstthem by
God in the pronunciations of Jesus here and beganin its powerful expression
in 70 A.D., forty years later, with the destruction of Jerusalem. Since that
time, Jerusalemhas been trodden underfoot to one degree or another by the
Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles ends. And we'll learn about that in
Luke chapter 21.
They made their choice. The celebrationwas superficialand He knew it. In
fact, He even says, "But now they have been hidden from your eyes."
Whateverthis celebrationmeans, whatever is going on here, howeveryou may
be emotionally caught up in this thing, the truth is, you have rejectedMe, you
continue to reject Me, and it is hidden from your eyes. The truth is hidden
from your eyes, the gospel of peace, the only way of reconciliationwith God.
This is not just a statement of divine judgment, though it is an affirmation, it
is a statement of their own self-imposedblindness. In fact, now they have
been hidden from your eyes. Rightnow, here and now, you're in the dark. In
the future, they will not believe. For what was a chosenblindness becomes a
judicial blindness. They never believe. Readthe recordof Acts 2 through 7,
Jerusalemnever believes. Theydon't believe now, they never have. They will
not until the end time when they look on Him whom they pierced, as
Zechariah said, mourn for Him as an only Son, a fountain of cleansing is open.
Then they receive their kingdom. That's in the future.
And Jesus then describes the judgment that is coming, verse 43, "Forthe days
shall come upon you when your enemies will throw up a bank before you,

58. surround you, hem you in on every side, level you to the ground and your
children within you, and they will not leave in you one stone upon another."
Let me just break that down quickly for you. "The days will come upon you,"
that's an Old Testamentexpressionused many times in the Old Testament,
Isaiah39:6; Hosea 9:7; Amos 4:2; etc., etc., etc. “The days will come upon
you,” often used as an Old Testamentexpressionof coming judgment, coming
judgment; it's just another time when Jesus refers to coming judgment.
Five aspects. Look atthem. Number one...five aspects to this judgment.
Number one, verse 43, "Your enemies will throw up a bank before you," or
better, "a barricade." When in ancient times you wanted to conquer a city,
you surrounded the city and built a barricade to keepeverybody in and you
starved them to death. No one could get out. No one could get in. So you cut
off the food supply, and if possible, the water supply as well. They built a
palisade, if you will, or a barricade, a high barrier to sealoff the city so that
no one could go in and no one could go out. The Jews...Theybuilt it out of
wood. Josephus, the historian, tells us they built it out of woodand the Jews
burned it down. So they built a wall around the city of Jerusalem. This is
what Titus Vespasiandid, according to Josephus, the historian, in his writing,
The JewishWar. That's the first feature. An enemy will come and build a
barricade. That's exactly what the Romans did in 70 A.D.
Second, verse 43, “surround you.” The enemy then surrounds you at the
point of the wall. No one can go in and no one can go out. The city is sealed
off from all supplies. Anyone who tries to escape is killed and thousands on
the inside eventually begin, and it doesn't take long, to starve and die. This all
started in 66 A.D. The Jews revoltedagainstRome in 66. That brought the
Romans. Thatled to the Roman siege in 70 A.D. The Romans built this great
palisade. The Jews burned it down. They put up a big wall. They then put
their troops there, completely surrounding the city, fully cutting it off. That
led to the third element, consequentially, “hem you in on every side,” sunech,
to press, to crowd from all sides, just escalating the pressure, the pressure
from all sides. Number four: “They will level you to the ground.” It literally
means to shatteragainstthe ground, to smash againstthe ground. That is to
say, the city will then be sackedand flattened and not just the city but your

59. children within you. It's not talking only about infants, or little children,
tekna, your sons, your inhabitants.
So what's going to happen? They're going to build a barricade. They're
going to then surround them with their soldiers. They're going to press.
Eventually they're going to break through when the people are so weak they
can't fight, and they're going to smashand shatter the population againstthe
ground; and then smash the city and its wallto the ground so that it cannot be
rebuilt. This exactly occurredin 70 A.D., forty years after Jesus gave this
prophecy.
Notice please verse 44, the middle of the verse, "Theywill not leave in you one
stone upon another." Those are the stones — friends — that cry out. When
you go silent, the stones will cry out. Forty years later, the stones that made
up that glorious city will lie on the ground as rubble, mute, screaming of the
judgment on Israel's unbelief.
Five months the siege took. And the Romans overpoweredthe weakened
Jews, starving Jews. Romansoldiers rampagedthrough Jerusalembasically
slaughtering everybody, children, women, adults, exceptthe strongestyoung
men which they kept for gladiatorialgames. Theydestroyedthe city;
everything exceptthe westernWailing Wall, some of you have seenit there, a
few other sections, massacring everybody. The hundreds of thousands of
people literally were slaughtered. Josephus writes this, "While the sanctuary
was burning(the temple) neither pity for age, nor request for rank was shown.
On the contrary. Children and old people, laity and priests alike were
massacred. The emperorordered the entire city and temple to be razed to the
ground, leaving only the highesttowers and the portion of the wall on the
west. All the restof the wall was so completely razed as to leave future visitors
to the spot no reasonto believe that the city had ever been inhabited.” And
the stones criedout, screamedout of judgment, total destruction.
Our Lord concludes by reminding them why this was going to happen. End of
verse 44, "Becauseyoudidn't recognize the time of your visitation."
Visitation, episkops, the visit of the incarnate God for the purpose of
salvation. Zechariahsaid when he heard all this was going to happen back in

60. chapter 1, "The Lord has visited His people for redemption." “The day of
visitation” is an Old Testamentphrase used by Isaiahand Jeremiahand other
Old Testamentwriters referring to the coming of God, His drawing nearto
His people. Could be in blessing, couldbe in judgment. This visitation was in
blessing and salvation. You didn't recognize that God was visiting you for
salvation, for redemption. You didn't recognize it. Was Jesus the Messiah?
Absolutely. Was it evident that He was the Messiah? Ofcourse. Was He the
Son of God? Of course. Who else could do the miracles He did and saythe
things He said. Yes He is the rightful King, fulfilling prophecy, omniscient.
Yes He has a right to receive worship. He's been given authority. He can
predict the details of judgment and execute them. The visitation of God had
come to Israel. John puts it this way, "He was in the world, the world was
made by Him. The world knew Him not. He came unto His own, His own
receivedHim not." In the 20th chapter of Luke, starting in verse 13, the Lord
is telling a parable and He tells about the owner of a vineyard who is God who
sends His beloved Son back to his vineyard, after his people have killed all his
messengers. He says, "Finally, ‘I'll send My Son. Perhaps they'll respect
Him.’ When the vine growers saw Him, they reasonedwith one another
saying, 'This is the heir, let's kill him that the inheritance may be ours.'”
Threw Him out of the vineyard, killed Him. “What therefore will the owner
of the vineyard do to them? He will come and destroy those vine growers and
give the vineyard to others." Yeah, end of Israel's specialtime of visitation,
potential blessing;then comes the times of the Gentiles, development of the
church until in the future Israelrepents.
The people on that day who were celebrating, many of them were dead by 70
A.D., out of God's presence foreverin eternal punishment. Some of the
younger ones, no doubt, perished in the destruction of 70 A.D .D. The very
walls of that city became the prison in which those Christ-rejecting people
were slaughteredby the pagans;and the rubble, testimony from the stones, of
their rejectionof Christ. That's history and it's still going on.
But it's not just Israel's history. CanI make it very practical for you?
Rejectionof Jesus Christas Lord is catastrophic for you, too. It's no less
catastrophic for you than it was for them. What about your day of
opportunity? What about the time when you've heard the gospel, whenthe

61. gospel's beenpresentedto you? The time when you've been told how you can
be reconciledto God? What have you done with your visitation? Have you
recognizedthe time of your spiritual opportunity or is the end going to be as
catastrophic for you as it was for them? What are you doing about God's
gracious visitationin your life with the truth of the gospel?
That's the question you have to answer. It's history. But it's a monumental
lessonto the catastrophe ofrejecting Christ. Don't follow that path. Become
one of His. Embrace Him as your Savior.
Father, again we thank You for Your Word. Always, having proclaimed it,
my heart is filled with gratitude. The first thought is always "Thank You,
thank You," for this clarity, for this truth, for this warning, for this invitation
because it comes from You with such grace. It is a visitation intended for
peace. Mayit be so in every heart here, we pray, every heart, received,
embraced, that sinners may be reconciledto You, making peace, making
peace possible becauseofthe sacrifice ofChrist. May there be no one here
who faces catastrophic and eternal judgment. May all respond to the
visitation of the gospelof peace, embrace the Savior and receive the hope of
heaven and eternal joy.
Now, Father, we say againit is good to be in Your house and dwell together
with those who are brothers. It is goodto celebrate the greatness ofour
salvation. We thank You that You have opened our eyes to see the glories of
Christ, that we don't stand with unbelievers, but with those in faith; that
death for us is no catastrophe atall, for there never will be any judgment. All
our judgment was experiencedby Christ, who bore all the judgment for all
our sin in His own body for all who believe. We thank You for the gift of life
in Christ, and we pray that no one here will refuse that in the day of visitation
when that opportunity is presented to them. Do Your work in every heart.
Use us, Lord, to carry this glorious messagebeyondthe walls here to those
who so desperatelyneed it in our world. We thank You and we give You
honor in Christ's name. Amen.

62. Luke 19:40
19:40 the stones. Eventhe inanimate creationis under God’s control, for He
made it, and the opposition of mere men to the fulfillment of prophecy is no
impediment to the Creatorand Sustainerof all things. When God created
Adam, He breathed life into the dust of the ground; He could do the same for
stones, if need be.
https://www.icr.org/books/defenders/6254/
CHRIST SHALL BE WORSHIPPED
Text: Luke 19:40
Subject: The Triumphal Entry
Date: Sunday Evening — December19, 2004
Tape # Y-53b
Readings: Bob Pruitt and Rex Bartley
Introduction:

63. LUKE 19:28-40
28. And when he had thus spoken, he went before, ascending up to
Jerusalem.
29. And it came to pass, when he was come nigh to Bethphage and
Bethany, at the mount calledthe mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples,
30. Saying, Go ye into the village over againstyou; in the which at your
entering ye shall find a colt tied, whereon yet never man sat: loose him, and
bring him hither.

64. 31. And if any man ask you, Why do ye loose him? thus shall ye sayunto
him, Because the Lord hath need of him.
32. And they that were sent went their way, and found even as he had
said unto them.
33. And as they were loosing the colt, the owners thereofsaid unto them,
Why loose ye the colt?
34. And they said, The Lord hath need of him.
35. And they brought him to Jesus:and they casttheir garments upon
the colt, and they setJesus thereon.

65. 36. And as he went, they spreadtheir clothes in the way.
37. And when he was come nigh, even now at the descentof the mount of
Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God
with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen;
38. Saying, Blessedbe the King that comethin the name of the Lord:
peace in heaven, and glory in the highest.
39. And some of the Phariseesfrom among the multitude said unto him,
Master, rebuke thy disciples.
40. And he answeredand said unto them, I tell you that, if these should
hold their peace, the stones wouldimmediately cry out.

66. Our Savior’s triumphal entry into Jerusalemwas prophesiedby both Isaiah
and Zechariah.
(Zechariah 9:9) Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of
Jerusalem:behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having
salvation;lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foalof an ass.
(Isaiah62:11) Behold, the LORD hath proclaimed unto the end of the world,
Say ye to the daughter of Zion, Behold, thy salvationcometh; behold, his
reward is with him, and his work before him.
GRACE TRIUMPHANT
Clearly this passage speaksofboth our Savior’s greathumility and
condescensionand of his glorious triumphs and conquests as our Savior. His

67. humiliation unto death is his highest glory. And his triumphal entry into
Jerusalemwas a display of the greatconquests of his grace in the hearts of
chosensinners. All we who believe on the Lord Jesus, like the wild ass’s colt,
have been found, fetched and conqueredby the Son of God.
DEITY DISPLAYED
We see our Savior’s deity manifestly displayed throughout this story. Some of
these displays are obvious to all. Others are just as obvious, but commonly
overlooked. Notonly did our Savior show his omniscience and display his
powerover and rightful ownership of all things. He shows his glorious majesty
and supremacy in everything recordedhere.
· At the very time the Scribes and Pharisees andreligious rulers in
Jerusalemwere plotting to kill him, his praise was heard above the noise of
thousands in the crowded streets, praise in exactly the words written in the
prophets.
· The factthat the children of those who were plotting to crucify him, here
sang the praises ofour Redeemer(Matt. 21:15)tells us that he who inspired
their praise is God who rules the thoughts of men.

68. · Though his disciples clearlydid not understand the things they saw and
spoke until after the resurrection, they here proclaim that the lowly Nazarene,
that poor man, insignificant in the opinion of all, is the Messiah, the Sonof
God, whose is just and having salvation!
· And the answerhe gave to the Pharisees who tried to gethim to silence
the praises ofhis people, stands out in my mind as a tremendous display and
declarationof his glorious Personas the God-man, our Savior.
(Luke 19:40) And he answeredand said unto them, I tell you that, if these
should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out.
“And he answeredand said unto them, I tell you…” — as if to say, You canbe
certain of this. — “that, if these should hold their peace,” if they did not sing
my praise and glorify God because ofme, “the stones would immediately cry
out.” These very rocks that I createdwould erupt with my praise.
Proposition:The obvious meaning of those words is this.— The Lord Jesus
Christ must and shall be worshipped and praisedas our Savior and King.

69. Blessedbe his name, there is a day coming when all creatures and all creation
shall praise and worship him (Rev. 4 and 5). But I want you to know and be
assuredthat he must and shall be worshipped and praised in this world by
some.
We preachthe gospelto all men. We send out the message ofGod’s free grace
and salvationin Christ, literally, around the world. You send me up and down
the length and breadth of this country week afterweek proclaiming to needy
souls who Christ is, what he has done, and how he saves sinners. We help to
send others to proclaim free grace to lost sinners. As we do, some believe and
some believe not. But, blessedbe Godour Savior, some must and shall believe.
That is the way it is, the way it has been, and the wayit shall be, as long as
time shall stand. Let me show you.
EXAMPLE
Turn with me to Acts 28:24. Here is an example of what I am saying. Paul is at
Rome. There the Jews desiredto hear him. After he was finished persuading
them from the Scriptures, we read…

70. (Acts 28:24) And some believed the things which were spoken, and some
believed not.
The preacherhere is the apostle Paul. The messagepreachedwas the gospelof
Christ. He expounded the Scriptures, testified of his own experience of the
powerof God, and persuaded his hearers to trust Christ. Yet, we read that
“some believed...andsome believed not.” Why did Luke write that down?
What does the Holy Spirit intend for us to learn from this fact?
Without question, the intention of the Holy Spirit is to teachus that the
salvationof sinners is not determined by the ability of the preacher. I do not
mean to suggestthat a person canbe savedapart from the preaching of the
gospel(Rom. 10:17; James 1:18;1 Pet. 1:23-25). And I do not suggestthat it
does not matter who you hear (1 John 4:1-3; 2 John 10).
If you feed upon the poison of a false religion, you will perish under the wrath
of God. But the Holy Spirit does mean for us to understand that saving faith is
in no waydependent upon or determined by the gifts, abilities, education, or

71. spirituality of the man who preaches the gospel. No one excels Paulin these
areas. Yet, some who heard him “believed not.” He preachedpure gospel
truth. He preached the truth in love. His heart was in his message.He wanted
those who heard him to know Christ. Yet, “some believed not.”
WHY?
Why did some believe while others believed not? All heard the same preacher
preach the same sermon under the same circumstances. Only one explanation
can be given for the faith of those who believed. They believed because God
chose them in eternity, Christ redeemedthem at Calvary, and now the Holy
Spirit called them and gave them faith in Christ by his irresistible power and
grace (John 1:12-13;Rom. 9:16-18). Their salvation was entirely God’s fault
and the result of God’s work.
Why did some not believe? Their unbelief was their own fault and the result
of their own work. They did not believe because they would not believe (John
5:40). They would not believe because theyhad no need of Christ (Luke 9:11).
All who are savedare savedas a result of what God does. All who are lostare
lost as a result of what they do.

72. SOME MUST BELIEVE
Yet, some must believe the gospel. Some must and shall worship and praise
Christ as Saviorand Lord. That is the meaning of our Lord’s words in Luke
19:40.
(Luke 19:40) And he answeredand said unto them, I tell you that, if these
should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out.
Christ must have praise somewhere;if not at one place and by one group,
then assuredlysomewhere else and by another group. Christ must have
praise. Why? Let me give you just two reasons.
HIS DUE

73. 1stSome shall worship and praise the Lord Jesus Christas their Saviorand
King because it is his due.
It is due to His person. He is Son of God, and Son of man; the possessorof all
things. He is the embodiment of every perfection, divine and human. Praise is
his due, his right, his rightful claim. It is due to him…
· As the Word made flesh.
· As Messiah, the Christ, our King.
· As the Saviorof the World.
· As the Revealerofthe Fatherand the Father’s will.
· As the Executorof the Father’s purpose.
· As the Objectof the Father’s love.

74. · As the Doerof that mighty work by which and in which the Fatheris
glorified, and peace is made, and mercy, grace and love are brought to sinners
in righteousness.
In a word, it is his due, because he is the Lamb of God and he is Salvation
(Rev. 5:6-14).
(Revelation5:6-14) And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the
four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stooda Lamb as it had been slain,
having sevenhorns and seveneyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent
forth into all the earth. (7) And he came and took the book out of the right
hand of him that sat upon the throne. (8) And when he had taken the book,
the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having
every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the
prayers of saints. (9) And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to
take the book, and to open the seals thereof:for thou wastslain, and hast
redeemedus to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and
people, and nation; (10) And hast made us unto our Godkings and priests:
and we shall reign on the earth. (11) And I beheld, and I heard the voice of
many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders:and the
number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of
thousands; (12) Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain
to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and
glory, and blessing. (13)And every creature which is in heaven, and on the
earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them,
heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that
sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever. (14) And the
four beasts said, Amen. And the four and twenty elders fell down and
worshipped him that liveth for everand ever.

75. Praise is his due; and he will have his due.
THE FATHER’S PURPOSE
2nd The Lord Jesus Christmust and shall be worshipped and praisedby some
as Savior and King, because it is the Father’s purpose (Rom. 8:28-31).
(Romans 8:28-31) And we know that all things work togetherfor goodto
them that love God, to them who are the calledaccording to his purpose. (29)
For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the
image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. (30)
Moreoverwhom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called,
them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified. (31)
What shall we then sayto these things? If God be for us, who can be against
us?

76. But there are some, like the Phariseesin Luke 19, who despise his praise, who
will not trust and worship him as Savior and King, and who do everything in
their power to keepothers from worshipping him.
All self-righteousness,allself-justifying, self-exulting, religion is opposed to
the praise of Christ. The professors ofit hate his praise. They cannotbear to
hear it from others, much less to give it themselves. The voice of Christ’s
praise stirs their enmity. They love to talk about praising him, but despise his
praise. They cannot stand to hear him exalted as…
· All Wisdom
· All Righteousness
· All Sanctification
· All Redemption
· All Salvation
· The End of The Law

77. Others may not be so vocalas these Pharisees. Theyare simply silent. You are
engrossedwith other things. You are indifferent to Christ. You do not bother
yourself about grace, salvation, righteousness, andeternal life. You stick your
fingers in your ears and refuse to hear.
THE EFFECT
What is the effectof man’s unbelief, rebellion and hatred toward our Savior?
Turn to Romans 3:3-4, and see.
(Romans 3:3-4) For what if some did not believe? shall their unbelief make
the faith of God without effect? (4) God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every
man a liar; as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and
mightest overcome when thou art judged.

78. · It will not thwart God’s purpose.
· It will not rob Christ of his satisfaction.
· It will not hinder the work of God the Holy Spirit.
· It will not diminish the number of the saved.
· It will cause any sorrow among the saints in heaven.
· It will not diminish Christ’s praise and glory.
God’s purpose concerning his darling Son, and the praise due to him, shall be
carried out to the uttermost, both in time and eternity, both in earth and
heaven. It is even now unfolding itself. Christ is glorified even here. There are
some who praise him, in every kingdom and out of every kindred, some here
tonight praising him! And every new born soul gatheredin adds to the song of
praise. Soonall the earth shall yet praise him. Creation’s universal song of
praise shall begin when he returns in his glory to make all things new. All
heaven praises, and shall praise him. Every angelglorifies him. The hosts of
heaven ascribe blessing to the Lamb. All the universe shall yet praise him.
Every thing that has breath and being shall praise him. Sun, moon, and stars
shall praise him, throughout the endless ages ofeternity!

79. · Are you praising him?
· Will you praise him now?
· This wild ass’s coltmust and shall forever praise him!
(Psalms 34:1-4) I will bless the LORD at all times: his praise shall continually
be in my mouth. (2) My soul shall make her boastin the LORD: the humble
shall hear thereof, and be glad. (3) O magnify the LORD with me, and let us
exalt his name together. (4) I soughtthe LORD, and he heard me, and
delivered me from all my fears.
(Psalms 34:6-11) This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him, and saved
him out of all his troubles. (7) The angel of the LORD encampeth round about
them that fear him, and delivereth them. (8) O taste and see that the LORD is
good:blessedis the man that trusteth in him. (9) O fear the LORD, ye his
saints: for there is no want to them that fear him. (10) The young lions do
lack, and suffer hunger: but they that seek the LORD shall not want any good
thing. (11) Come, ye children, hearkenunto me: I will teachyou the fearof
the LORD.

80. (Psalms 34:17) The righteous cry, and the LORD heareth, and delivereth
them out of all their troubles.
(Psalms 116:1-7) I love the LORD, because he hath heard my voice and my
supplications. (2) Becausehe hath inclined his ear unto me, therefore will I
call upon him as long as I live. (3) The sorrows ofdeath compassedme, and
the pains of hell gathold upon me: I found trouble and sorrow. (4) Then
calledI upon the name of the LORD; O LORD, I beseechthee, deliver my
soul. (5) Gracious is the LORD, and righteous; yea, our God is merciful. (6)
The LORD preserveth the simple: I was brought low, and he helped me. (7)
Return unto thy rest, O my soul; for the LORD hath dealt bountifully with
thee.
(Psalms 116:11-19) Isaid in my haste, All men are liars. (12) What shall I
render unto the LORD for all his benefits toward me? (13)I will take the cup
of salvation, and call upon the name of the LORD. (14)I will pay my vows
unto the LORD now in the presence ofall his people. (15) Precious in the sight
of the LORD is the death of his saints. (16) O LORD, truly I am thy servant; I
am thy servant, and the son of thine handmaid: thou hast loosedmy bonds.
(17) I will offer to thee the sacrifice ofthanksgiving, and will call upon the
name of the LORD. (18) I will pay my vows unto the LORD now in the

81. presence ofall his people, (19) In the courts of the Lord’s house, in the midst
of thee, O Jerusalem. Praise ye the LORD.
Amen.
BIBLICAL ILLUSTRATOR
Our Saviourhere intimates further, that THIS SILENCE WOULD BE
USELESS. “If,” says He, “those of whom you complain were to hold their
peace, you would gain nothing by their silence;there would not be a cessation
of My praise, but only a change ofinstruments and voices;rather than My
praise should be suspended, what they decline others would be sure to rise up
to perform; if these should hold their peace, the stones would cry out.”
1. First, we shall glance at the supposed silence.
2. And, secondly, observe the improbable instruments that are employed to
perpetuate the testimony. It is not said, “If these should hold their peace the
angels would cry out, men would cry out”; no; “the stones would cry out.”
Can stones live? can stones preachand write and translate the Scriptures?
Can they aid in carrying on such a cause as this? Why not? He can employ,
and often does employ, the most unlikely characters. The wrathof man
praiseth Him. We see this in the case ofHenry the Eighth. It is of great
importance to know whether we are God’s servants, or whether we are God’s
enemies;but as to Him, He can employ one as well as another. This was the
case with Saul of Tarsus. He was a persecutoronce;but then he was called by
Divine grace, andpreach the faith that once he endeavouredto destroy. All
the Lord’s people once were enemies:but He found a way into their hearts,
and He made them friends. They were all once “stones”;but of these stones

82. God has “raisedup children unto Abraham.” They were as hard as stones, as
insensible as stones, as coldas stones;but they are now flesh, and every feeling
of this flesh is alive to God.
Horatius Bonar
Christ Must Have Praise
"I tell you, if they keepquiet, the stones will cry out." Luke 19:40
The meaning of this passage is briefly this."Christ must have praise
somewhere;if not at one place and by one class, thenassuredly somewhere
else and by another class:rather than that He should not have this, a miracle
would be wrought, and the stones made to cry out." Christ must have praise.
Why?
I. Becauseit is His due. It is due to His person. He is Sonof God, and Son of
man; the possessorofall createdand all uncreatedexcellence;the center of
every divine and every human perfection. Praise is his due, his right, his
lawful and necessaryclaim. It is due to him as the Word made flesh, as
Messiah, as the King who comes in the name of the Lord. It is due to his work
and office. He comes as the revealerof the Father and the Father's will; the
executorof the Father's purpose; the objectof the Father's love; the doer of
the mighty work in which the Fatherwas to be glorified and peace made, and
love carried out to the sinner in a righteous way.

83. II. Becauseit is the Father's purpose. That purpose is that Christ should be
praised, that He should receive honor, and glory, and blessing. The Father
presents Him to us as the great objectof universal praise. He says, "Let all the
angels of God worship Him;" let all men worship Him; let creationworship
Him; let this earth worship Him, even its stones. Forsuch a purpose (namely,
concentrating all praise on Jesus), He must have infinitely wise reasons, even
though we did not see them. But what has been made known concerning the
person and work of Messiah, showshow infinitely reasonable and glorious
that purpose is.
There are some who dislike this praise and this purpose. Such were the
Pharisees.Notthe "publicans and sinners." Self-righteousness, a self-
justifying, self-exulting, religion is the most opposedto the praise of Christ.
The professors ofit hate such praise. They cannotbear to hear it from others,
far less to give it them selves;the voice of praise calls forth their enmity.
There are others who are simply silent. They are engrossedwith other things,
or indifferent. They do not trouble themselves about the matter. They close
their lips and their ears. Doeseitherof these classes describe anyhere? Are
there some disregarding the Father's purpose, and giving no praise to Him
whom He delights to honor? What! Neither praise nor love! Neither homage
nor obedience!
Now what will this refusal, this silence, this angerdo?
1. It will not profit themselves. It will not make them happier. It will not
secure any favor or honor for them. It will not forward their prospects for
eternity. It will not avail them in the day of wrath, or serve them at the
judgment-seat.

84. 2. It will not lessenChrist's honor. He will still deserve the honor, though they
refuse to give it. He will still be the infinitely loveable, infinitely glorious one,
possessedof the name that is above every name.
3. It will not silence others. Heaven will still praise Him, the redeemedwill still
praise Him. His enemies may be dumb, but that will not silence angels. It will
not close one lip, nor cause one tongue to falter.
4. It will not hinder the fulfillment of the Father's purpose. That purpose shall
stand, whoevermay resist. If these be silent, the stones shallimmediately cry
out. If one will not praise Him, another shall praise Him; and that praise shall
never sink lowerthan a certain amount. If it should do so, from the silence of
those who were expectedto praise Him, others—eventhe unlikeliest—even
the dead creation, the stones, will cry out—cry out in praise, and cry out
againstthe wretched men who have refused the honor. God's purpose
concerning Christ, and the praise due to Him, shall be carriedout to the
uttermost, both in time and eternity, both in earth and heaven. That purpose
is even now unfolding itself. Christ is glorified even here. There are some that
praise Him, in every kingdom and out of every kindred, and every new soul
gatheredin adds to the song of praise. All earth shall yet praise Him.
Creation's universal song of praise shall begin when He returns in His glory to
make all things new. All heaven praises, and shall praise Him. Every angel
glorifies Him. The multitudes of heaven ascribe blessing to the Lamb. No, all
the universe shall yet praise Him. Everything that has breath and being shall
praise Him. Sun, moon, and stars shall praise Him, throughout the widest
space!
Are you praising Him, brethren? By lip and life, by word and deed? Helping
others to praise Him; gathering in the unpraising ones of earth—that they
may praise Him?

85. Will you praise Him, O men? You who have praised self, the creature, the
world, "nature," as you call it—will you now begin to praise Him who is
infinitely worthy of all your praise and love?
JOHN GILL
Verse 40
And he answeredand said unto them, I tell you,.... As a truth, which may be
depended on, and you may be assuredof; this he spake with greatearnestness,
fervour, and courage:
that if these should hold their peace;be silent, and not sing the praises of God,
and ascribe glory to him, and profess the Messiah, and make this public
acknowledgmentof him:
the stones wouldimmediately cry out; either againstthem, or in a declaration
of the Messiah:by which expressionour Lord means, that it was impossible it
should be otherwise;it would be intolerable if it was not; and rather than it
should not be, God, who is able out of stones to raise up children to Abraham,
would make the stones speak, orturn stones into men, who should rise up and
praise the Lord, and confess the Messiah;hereby commending his disciples,
and tacitly reflecting upon the Pharisees, fortheir stupidity; and also giving a
hint of the conversionof the Gentiles, who might be compared to stones,
especiallyin the opinion of the Jews.

86. L. M. GRANT
Some of the Pharisees resentedthis adulation given to the Lord Jesus, and
wanted Him to rebuke His disciples. If He had not been Israel's true King they
would have had reasonfor objecting, but the Lord silencedtheir objections by
implying that the disciples were energizedby the Spirit of God to speak, and if
they would not speak, then God would make even the stones to immediately
cry out. How true it is that if people will not give true honor to the Sonof God,
this will not stop God from using any means He pleases to glorify His Son.
PAUL E. KRETZMANN
As a snowball which begins to roll at the top of a mountain soongrows to a
mighty avalanche, sweeping everything before it, so the enthusiasm that took
hold of the disciples soongrew to a holy ecstasy, infecting also the bands of
pilgrims that were going the same way and others that came out of the city to
meet the procession. As Jesus continued on His way toward Jerusalem, they
took their upper garments, their festival clothes, and spread them out on the
road, as for the receptionof a mighty king, an emperor. As He then reached
the spotwhere the road doubles the brow of Mount Olivet, the excitementof
the multitudes rose to its greatestheight. The entire company of all the
disciples broke forth into an exultant doxology, praising God for all the
wonderful things that they had seen. Theysang with a loud voice a sectionof
the greatHallel, Psa_118:26, withsuch additions as suited the occasion. They
rendered all glory to the highestGod for the rich manifestation of His grace in
Christ the Redeemer. Theysang His praises, because throughthe atonement
of the Messiahthe enmity betweenGod and man had now been brought to an
end. As on the greatfestivals, the multitudes could not restrain their joy, for
the disciples were not alone in their enthusiastic outburst, but were ably
secondedby the people. The joyous shout rose in a triumphant chorus, until

87. the sides of the hills and the depths of the Kidron Valley resounded with the
triumphant acclaim. And when some of the ubiquitous Pharisees begantheir
usual grumbling, asking the Lord to rebuke and silence His disciples, they
receivedpoor comfort. ForHe told them that the very stones would burst
forth in shouting if the disciples should hold their peace. The entire
demonstration was arrangedby God for the sake of His beloved Son. The
Spirit of the Lord had takenhold of the pilgrims for a short while. God
wanted to give His Son evidence and witness of the factthat the time was
coming when all tongues would have to confess that Jesus is the Lord, though
it was necessaryfor Him first to pass through the valley of His inexpressibly
bitter Passion. Yetthe work which He was to perform in Jerusalemwas great
and glorious and worthy of being praised by all creatures.
PETER PETT
Verse 40
‘And he answeredand said, “I tell you that, if these hold their peace, the
stones will cry out.” ’
Jesus’reply was simple and striking. If these men held their peace, the very
stones would be constrainedto cry out. It was an indication that there was
One here Whom creationrecognised(compare how the storm obeyed His
word - Luke 8:24 - and how the unbroken ass’s coltobeyedHis will and
retained its calm amidst the maddened crowd). We can compare with this
Luke 3:8 where John declaredthat if need be God could raise up from the
stones children to Abraham. There is the same generalidea. What is
happening is of God, and if necessaryGodcould supplement it through a new
work of creationusing the very stones of the ground.

88. Alternately Jesus may have had in mind Habakkuk 2:11 where the stones
would cry out againstwhatwas shameful, indicating that it would indeed be
shameful if the people did not cry out to welcome Him.
But in view of what immediately follows it is probable that there is also an
indirect reference to when the stones will cry out as they are left in a tangled
mess after the destruction of the Temple (Luke 21:6). His words were thus
another parable from which eachwas to read what they would, and which
would have deeper meaning in the future
When Stones Cry Out
Author: Ray C. Stedman
Two weeks agoI was in Israeland, in company with my companions, was
driving from the little village of Bethany, on the easternslope of the Mount of
Olives, down across the Kidron valley, and on up into the temple area of
Jerusalem. We were, in effect, retracing the path our Lord took in the so-
called"triumphal entry," when he mounted the colt of an ass in Bethany and
rode down across the face of the mountain, through the Kidron valley, and up
into the city. He was precededby a crowdwho threw palm branches into his
pathway, praising God. I was thinking of that episode as we drove along, and
an incident from the accountin Luke's gospelcame into my mind. Luke says,
As he was now drawing near, at the descentof the Mount of Olives, the whole
multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice
for all the mighty works that they had seen, saying, "Blessedis the King who
comes in the name of the Lord! Peacein heaven and glory in the highest!"
And some of the Pharisees inthe multitude saidto him, "Teacher, rebuke

89. your disciples." He answered, "Itell you, if these were silent, the very stones
would cry out." (Luke 19:37-40 RSV)
The scene has changedsince those days. There are many buildings around
Jerusalemnow which were not there then. The Mount of Olives is still there,
and a large part of the Gardenof Gethsemene, but many other things have
changed. As we rode along that road I thought of this scene, andI was sure
there were some other things which had not yet changed. I wonderedif
perhaps among them were the very stones to which Jesus made reference in
this passage. Stonesdo not getaround much! And I was thinking of how Jesus
said that if the disciples should remain silent, the very stones would cry out.
I have never heard a stone cry out, at leastI do not think I have -- or perhaps
I have. While I was in Spain recently, meeting with a group of pastors, one of
the pastors amusedhimself and the rest of us at a meal by dipping his finger
in water and rubbing it around the rim of a drinking glass, andit beganto
sing. Glass is a form of stone, and perhaps this is the way stones cry out. But I
am sure of this -- if the stones in our Lord's day had cried out, they would not
have done so as clearlyand as articulately as these disciples did. Stones are
not made for crying out. Therefore, if they make a sound, it must be a garbled
or a less articulate sound than a human voice canmake.
I wonderedwhat Jesus meantby this statement. One thing is clear. This was
an occasionwhich calledfor praise. This was a very singular moment in the
history of Israel. I do not know if you are aware ofthis, but when our Lord
was riding down that mountain into the city of Jerusalem, it was an historic
event, in fulfillment of severalprophecies of the Old Testament.
The prophet Daniel, hundreds of years earlier, had been given by God a
certain calendarof time which was marked off preciselyto determine the date

90. when the Messiahwouldpresent himself to the nation Israel. And according
to the reckoning of Sir Robert Anderson, former head of ScotlandYard, an
English layman with a greatknowledge ofthe Bible, the precise date on which
Daniel's prophecy was to be fulfilled was this day.
According to the actual time which had elapsed, if Israelhad been aware ofit,
this was the predicted hour, to the very second, in which our Lord was to
present himself as King to Israel.
Zechariah had predicted that Israelwould see their King coming to them,
"humble and riding on an ass, on a colt the foal of an ass," (Zechariah9:9).
That prediction also was being fulfilled in this moment. Here was an hour
toward which the prophets had looked, and which they had longedto see. It
was a strategic time in Israel's history, and Jesus, as he came over the hill,
wept over the city, saying,
"Would that even today you knew the things that make for peace!But now
they are hid from your eyes. Forthe days shall come upon you, when your
enemies will castup a bank about you and surround you, and hem you in on
every side, and dash you to the ground, you and your children within you, and
they will not leave one stone upon another in you; because you did not know
the time of your visitation." (Luke 19:42-44 RSV)
This was a prediction of the fall of the city under the Romans, a terrible time
of judgment. So this is a time of crisis when this incident takes place. And as
the disciples come over the hill they feelsingularly moved by the Holy Spirit
to begin to praise God for the mighty works he has done in this nation, which
they have seenat the hand of Jesus, and to bless God and cry out, "Peace in
heaven and glory in the highest." The hour calledfor that kind of

91. proclamation. As Jesus makes veryclear, it was necessaryto do this. So if the
disciples had not done it, the stones would have cried out.
I think this is one of those strange parables-in-actionyou find frequently in
the life of our Lord -- times when he said things which had symbolic meaning.
I do not think we need to miss the fact that this is a parable of something
which is happening today, a parable of universal application, beyond this
scene ofthe "triumphal entry."
In other words, what our Lord is saying here is that there are truths which
God wants his children to proclaim, because they are the ones best fitted to do
it. They understand the mighty works of God. They know who it is who is
behind these things. They understand the meaning of these events. They are
the ones setapart by God to proclaim these greattruths and to help the world
see God's mighty works and understand what he is doing.
But what if they will not? "Well then," says Jesus, "the stones will cry out."
That is, that which is not designedfor this purpose, which is not particularly
prepared for it, will begin to utter these truths. I believe that in a very real
way this is what we are seeing happening in our own day, and what has
happened many times in the past. There are truths which God desires to be
uttered. There are forces at work in humanity which need to be explained.
And only the church has the explanation.
But if the church will not say what God wants it to sayin the hour of crisis,
then that which is not equipped or prepared or able properly to do it will
begin to utter sounds. In other words, the world, secularthought, will begin to
examine these things. Men and women, oftentimes intelligent and educated,
but blinded, unable to see reality, unable to see truth as it is in its total
perspective, who do not approach life from the standpoint of divine revelation

92. but approachit from the limited, narrow view of man, will begin to examine
these same forces at work and will try to explain them. But the explanation
will be dulled and distorted and twisted, and so will affecthumanity
adversely. Yet the fault is with the church, because it did not, or would not,
proclaim the truths made available to it. This is always happening whenever
Christians neglectthe revelationof God. In our day, as in the days of the past,
we are neglecting truth which we ought to be heralding abroad.
I picked up a book not long ago by Dr. John R. W. Stott, the famous pastorof
an Anglican Church in London, a great communicatorof Christian truth.
Many of you have heard him speak, or know of him. The title of this book is
Our Guilty Silence. It is a development of this theme, focusing on the idea that
the church has withheld the gospelfrom the world. We have not proclaimed
the great, marvelous, delivering, liberating truth which is inherent in the good
news of Jesus Christ. Becausewe have failed to evangelize, in this sense, we
are guilty. Our silence has condemned men to death and misery and darkness.
Stott is perfectly right about this. The church at large has not properly spoken
in these terms, and we need to hear that voice.
But as I read the title of that book, I thought of it as applicable in a larger,
even wider sense. Notonly the delivering truths of the gospel, but also truth in
generalneeds to be proclaimed. Aspects and viewpoints of life which do not
necessarilytouch directly upon salvation, as such, still are contained in the
Word of God. I would like to share with you certain areas where I feelthis
applies. I urge you, as I am urging myself these days, to be more alert to
opportunities to speak ofthese great, mighty works of God, to explain them in
terms of the Scriptures, and to make cleartheir provision for solving the
problems of human life. And do this not only in church, but out whereveryou
work -- at school, atthe shop, at the office, in your home. This is God's desire
for his people today -- to proclaim, in the midst of life, the mighty works of
God, and to give an explanation of the forces atwork, so that the world might
understand what is happening to them.

93. One such area which is very evident today is the whole realm of sex, and the
understanding of what this strange, mighty force, this urge to merge which is
so present in humanity, is all about. What is it provided for? It is God-given,
and yet, what is it? I find there is a greatdeal in the Scriptures on this subject,
from Genesis through Revelation. The whole book is replete with explanation
of this strange force -- what God intends it for, how it finds its culmination in
marriage, and what marriage really is. But, because the church has been so
grosslynegligentin developing this theme as it is found in Scripture, we are
subjectedto terrible extremes of its treatment by the world. "The stones cry
out," begin to try to speak on this subject, make a lot of noise, but are not very
helpful. This is why we see the world lurching drunkenly from side to side in
this area.
One of the philosophers -- I think it was Kant -- describes humanity as like a
drunk going down a narrow alleyway. He lurches from side to side, bouncing
off one wall and then the other. This is a vivid way of portraying what is
happening in human life. Many have noted how we tend to swing from
extreme to extreme. There is a pendulum-like movement in history. The
pendulum swings so far in one direction, then goes back as far in the other
direction, back and forth. This strange, sweeping movement betweenextremes
is the course which history describes humanity as taking throughout all its
long centuries. Why? Because oftentimes the church, the people of God who
have the truth about these forces, is silent, or says little about them.
Therefore, people do not know how to interpret these things and are unable to
understand.
Sex is certainly one such area. We swing from Victorian prudishness -- trying
to pretend sex does not exist, even to a degree of squeamishness in which
people would call the legs of a piano "limbs" -- to the other extreme of
excessive permissiveness, whereinsexsaturates everything we do -- it is
thrown at us in our advertising, and in everything around us; the beauty of

94. marriage is broken down and marriage is made to appear as though it is
merely a convenientway for people to live together, but has no importance in
itself. This happens because the church has not spokenout on the subject.
Now, by church I do not necessarilymean only this congregationhere. I
believe, under God, that we have made some really valiant and helpful efforts
to speak out in these areas recently. And we have already seensome
wonderful results. But I am speaking in terms of the church at large, the
church of our day. As I travel around, I see some of the terrible results of the
failure of the people of God to declare the mighty works of God right where
they are.
Take, forinstance, the whole realm of the knowledge whichScripture reveals
about Satan and the dark forces which are at work in this world to govern
and to regulate human events. It is given unto us to declare this, to explain
why humanity seems periodically to be gripped by anarchistrevolutionary
movements, with the resultant blood and lust and war and crimes mounting
up to frightening levels. Why is this? As long as we deal only with the
symptoms of this, as the world would do, we are not very helpful. We need
againto talk freely and openly about what the Lord Jesus, and all the
apostles, andall the prophets of the Old Testamentrevealedto be true -- that
there are spiritual forces in high places, wickedness entrenched, and that these
manipulate the minds of men and implant demonic ideas and philosophies
which are picked up by the writers of today, spreadthrough the media, and
widely believed.
We ought to speak up about these matters, and help people to see the truth
about them. Otherwise, we will find the world again falling into two extremes
-- either wild occultism, with people thinking that life is operatedby the
influence of the stars, and going in for seances,horoscopes, spiritism, black
magic, and the worship of demons; or excessive intellectualism, in which

95. people try to rationalize everything and make of life a kind of super-
psychology, thinking that there are certain hidden forces latentin the human
spirit, in the subconsciousorsuperconscious,which controlus and which
must be brought to light and developed, and that life can be explained only in
those terms, without reference to the age-long battle and conflict going on
betweenthe Spirit of God and the spirit of evil. You see, it is up to us to speak
the truth, not merely here at church but out where we live.
Take the realm of nature. We are now seeing the extreme of natural pollution
in our day. We are battling with this terrible ecologicalupsetand disaster
which is threatening our planet -- pollution of our streams and air, the
depletion of our natural resources,etc. We are seeing the other extreme of a
return to the worship of nature, manifesting itself in all kinds of food fads and
in a love of primitive living in which people want to return to nature entirely.
What is the reasonfor this? It is because the church has been almost totally
silent about what the Bible has to say about nature, the world and the
universe in which we live, how it operates andwhy it operates the way it does,
and how it is designedto reveal that which is going on in the spiritual realm --
the natural reflecting that which is occurring in the realm of the spirit.
It is up to us to declare that. No other persons can. Without that knowledge,
man tends to exalt science to such a height that it becomes almosta form of
worship, even though the scientific method, though it has validity in many
areas, cannotoperate in certainrealms of life. For instance, science has
nothing to say about purpose in living. Yet purpose is one of the ingredients
we must have or we cannot live. We must have a sense ofmeaning. Science
does not give us that. Science reduces us to tiny, insignificant atoms, crawling
around on a small planet in the midst of the vastness ofspace. It takes away
all sense of meaning and purpose and significance from life. But that is a
violation of the laws of nature.

96. On the other hand, while man must be given a sense ofmeaning and
significance it must not be to the extent that it results, as we have seen
happening in our day, in an exaltationof man, in a new humanism, a spirit
which says that man is the masterof all things, is in control of all of life, and
can run all things. The reasonthese two extremes exist and govern so widely
in human thought is that the church has not said what man is, who he is, and
what nature is.
One of the most penetrating examinations I have ever seenin the realm of
natural knowledge is found in the book of Job, Chapters 38 and 39. I suggest
you read them and see if you can pass that examination. How much do you
know about nature, about what makes it work, and how it operates? Jobwas
put to the test. And there are questions in that passagewhichno scientistcan
answertoday. Man's knowledge is too limited.
Then, in the realm of authority, the Bible speaks volumes. But we do not
speak much at all. As a result there has arisen this whole idea of nationalism,
whereby the nation-state is made supreme. We are seeing a revival of this in
our day. Not long ago the church was so ignorant in this area that the church
itself was sweptby a wave of supernationalism and tried to identify the gospel
of Jesus Christ with American patriotism. Those two concepts do not belong
together. One impinges upon the other, it is true, but they are not the same
thing. That kind of distortion in the church is but a reflectionof the distortion
of the world.
We cango on in many areas along this line. I have become so aware of the
terrible weakness whichprevails in the church because we have been ignorant
of the whole matter of the impartation of spiritual gifts. Everywhere I go I
find leaders, pastors, theologians, andothers who never seemto have realized
that the Spirit of God is ready to equip, and has been equipping, his people

97. with gifts which enable them to function in a ministry of their own. They treat
these passages as thoughthey were to be relegatedto the 1stcentury only, or
were in no waypertinent to our day.
In Spain I spoke to a group of pastors who were bug-eyed in amazement at the
idea that we would take seriouslythe teaching about the gifts of the Spirit
found in First Corinthians 12 and Romans 12. But when they beganto see that
this is God's intent for the church in any age, they beganto come alive with a
new excitement, realizing that they could now discoverwhat God has already
given them in terms of resources in their own congregations.Manyof them
went back to their congregationswith a new hope, and a new light in their
eyes, because theyhad found out truth which had been hidden in the church
for decades anddecades.
The greatesttruth which God has to impart to man, I am convinced from my
study of the Scriptures, is what the Bible calls "the New Covenant," the new
arrangementfor living which God has made possible to his people. We are not
merely to try to do our best to serve Christ, to mobilize all our human
resources,and put them at his disposal. The believer's dedication to God is not
the primary callof the Spirit. Rather, the New Covenantis the understanding
that God himself is pleasedto live in us and to work through us. He is ready to
do everything he demands of us, and to utilize us in the process.Our wills and
minds are involved in it. We still make the choices, but he does the work. The
powercomes from him. And there is no demand made upon us in the Word of
God which we are not capable of meeting -- if our reliance is not upon
ourselves but upon God, who is ready and able to give to us power to do it, if
we are ready and willing to step out, and start doing it. This greattruth is able
to transform people, to transform congregations,and to turn the church into a
powerful army, "... bright as the sun, terrible as an army with banners" (Song
6:10b RSV), able to accomplishtremendous things. But the New Covenanthas
been relegatedto silence in so many parts of the church.

98. What I am saying is that it is necessaryforus to learn againto speak out
about these things. How canyou be what God wants you to be, and utter the
truth he wants you to declare, if you do not know the Scriptures yourself?
This is why it is so incumbent upon you that you learn, really learn, the Word.
Paul writes to the Corinthians,
This is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ and stewards ofthe
mysteries of God. (1 Corinthians 4:1 RSV)
The "mysteries of God" are those sacredsecretsthat human life needs in
order to operate properly, which are given to us in the pages ofthe Word,
which will save life from boredom and dullness, and transform it into
excitement and electric adventure in Christ. This is what we need againto
display before the world. Paul wrote to Timothy, "I write these things so that
you might know how you ought to behave yourself in the church, which is the
pillar and ground of the truth," (1 Timothy 3:15 KJV).Did you ever think of
the church that way? The church is the pillar, the support, and the ground,
the foundation, of truth in the world. It is as the church declares these great,
unshakable facts of life that the world begins to obtain light in its thinking,
and is able to handle properly some of the knowledge it discovers as it
investigates various aspects oflife. This is what Jesus surely meant when he
said, "You are the salt of the earth, you are the light of the world," (Matthew
5:13a, 5:14a RSV). And if the world is in darkness, it is because these truths
lie hidden, not only in the church, but, oftentimes, to the church. We need to
discoverthem againand begin to proclaim them -- againI stress, not only
here but out where you live!
A man told me this morning about attending a sales meeting in the Midwest.
It was not a Christian meeting at all. In fact, as far as he knew, the speaker
was not a Christian. It was a meeting designed to stir up salesmenand to
promote the selling of a product. But the lecturer had evidently been exposed

99. to spiritual truth, and in the course of the meeting he kept bringing it out, but
not labeling it as Christian. He said, "One of the things you must remember is
that if you are going to affectpeople and lead them in the way you want them
to go, you must be their servant. You must serve them, meet their need." This
Christian man listening nudged another Christian sitting close by, and said,
"That's the teaching of Jesus!Where did he learn that?"
I do not know where he learned it, but there is where it ought to be taught! It
is in places like this that we againcanshow people how men are to operate.
And as they learn more and more of that, they will see more and more the
wisdom of the Word of God, which says that the natural mind cannever
encompass God. The searching of man will never discoverGod. The wisdom
of man is foolishness with God. Only that marvelous truth encompassedin the
crucifixion and the resurrectionof Jesus, ultimately, is able to make sense out
of life.
There is where the church stands in the world today. I callto your mind
again, as I call it to my own mind, that as our Lord looks at his church, his
body, his people in this world today, what is he saying? "If these hold their
peace, the stones will cry out."
I would like to ask Dr. Henry Brandt, a dear friend visiting with us, to come
and dismiss us in prayer.
Prayer
Lord, we are thankful that we can come togetherand contemplate the
possibilities and the responsibilities which eachof us has. I pray that as we go,
we will be your mouthpieces, that we will make an effort to understand this
Word and make it known. Help us to avail ourselves of the resourcesthat you
died to give us, and to make ourselves available. Lord, we thank you that we

100. can depend on you, and that your poweris ours. We pray in Jesus'name,
Amen.
LANGE
Luke 19:40. If these should hold their peace.—Proverbialexpression, to
indicate that it is in individual casesharder to impose silence on men, than to
cause that which itself is speechless to speak, comp. Habakkuk 2:11. A covert
intimation of the destruction of Jerusalem, in which the stones of the city and
the temple should proclaim the majestyof our Lord. An intimation which is
the more striking, if we imagine to ourselves that at this very moment perhaps
the echo of the Hosannas was heard againstthe marble temple, and the
acclamations ofthe people were thus given back from the heights of Zion.
“With these words our Lord at the same time expressesa greatlaw of the life
of the kingdom of God. When men hold their peace from praising God, and
very especially, whena dark despotism imposes silence on the better-minded,
when the gospelis suppressed, then the stones begin to cry out: they proclaim
the judgments of the Lord, whose glorycan have no end.” Lane.
PULPIT COMMENTARY
And some of the Pharisees fromamong the multitude said unto him, Master,
rebuke thy disciples. And he answeredand saidunto them, I tell you that, if
these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out. These
Pharisees were probably some of that greatand influential sectwho had all
along listened with respectand attention to the Master, looking upon him as a
most able and powerful Rabbi, but refusing to entertain any of the growing

101. Messianic conceptions respecting his person. Godet graphically paints the
scene in his suggestionthatthe words, "Rebuke thy disciples," were
accompaniedwith an irritated and anxious look towards the frowning citadel
of Antonia, where the Roman garrisonof Jerusalemlay. It was there in full
view of Jesus and the crowds. The anxious look seemedto saythat the
Romans were on the watchfor any signs of disaffectionon the part of the
hated and suspectedJews. The answerofJesus, continues the same writer, has
a terrible majesty. "If I could silence all these," looking round on the
impassionedfaces of the multitude as they wavedtheir palm branches in
homage to their King, "the very stones on the ground would cry aloud." This
striking imagery was a memory of our Lord of the prophecy of Habakkuk:
"The stone shall cry out of the wall, and the beam out of the timber shall
answerit" (Habakkuk 2:11).
CHARLES SIMEON
OUR DUTY TOWARDS THE LORD JESUS CHRIST
Luke 19:40. I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would
immediately cry out.
THE exercise ofthe affections is not only approved, but applauded, when
earthly things are the objects of our pursuit: but, when the soul is attractedby
heavenly objects, the livelier emotions of the mind are deemedenthusiasm;
and even gratitude itself must restrain its voice, lest it incur the censure of the
world. But, whatever constructionmay be put upon our conduct, or whatever
difficulties we may be called to encounter in the discharge of our duty, we
should study to approve ourselves to God, and to render unto him the honour
due unto his name. At the time of our Lord’s triumphant entry into Jerusalem

102. “the whole multitude of his Disciples beganto rejoice, and to praise God for
all the mighty works that they had seen[Note:ver. 37.].” But, acceptable as
this tribute of praise was to God, it excitedonly envy and indignation in the
breasts of the malignant Pharisees. Theyconsideredthis display of their
gratitude as a just ground for displeasure;and therefore desired our Lord to
silence them; “Master,”saidthey, “rebuke thy Disciples.” OurblessedLord,
however, insteadof rebuking, vindicated his Disciples;and declared, that if,
from any motive whatever, they should be induced to withhold their grateful
acknowledgments, theywould do so to their eternalshame: “I tell you,” &c.
In discoursing on these words, we shall,
I. Shew what obligations we lie under, to magnify and adore the Lord—
The Disciples atthat time had abundant reasonto praise his name—
[They had seenthe miracles he had wrought, and especiallythat of raising
Lazarus from the grave after he had been dead four days [Note: John 12:17-
18.]:perhaps many of them had themselves experiencedhis power to heal.
From what they bad seenand heard, they were assured, that he was the
Messiahso long promised to the world [Note:ver. 38.]: and they regardedhis
advent as the most wonderful expressionof God’s favour toward their whole
nation. Could they then keepsilence? Were they to be blamed for testifying
their love to this augustPersonage, now that they saw him in the very actof
fulfilling one of the most remarkable of all the prophecies [Note:Compare
Zechariah 9:9. with John 12:13-15.]? Whenthey were thus highly privileged
to witness, what “many prophets and kings had in vain wished to see and
hear,” would they not have been guilty of the basestingratitude, if they had
held their peace? If Abraham leaped for joy at a distant prospectof that
period, should not they much rather [Note: John 8:56.]?]

103. But our obligations to praise him are far greaterthan theirs—
[We have a far clearerknowledge ofthe dignity of his person. They viewed
him indeed as “a greatprophet;” and on some occasions theyseemedto have
thought him more than human: but on the whole, they consideredhim as a
mere man, though indeed the greatestofmen. But we know him to be “God
manifest in the flesh,” even “Godover all, blessedfor ever [Note: 1 Timothy
3:16. Romans 9:5. Hebrews 1:3. Colossians2:9.].” And shall we behold in him
such adorable majesty and condescension, andyet withhold from him our
tribute of praise?
We also are far better acquainted with the ends of his mission. The Disciples
supposedthat he was sentto instruct them more fully in the knowledge of
God’s will, to deliver them from the Roman yoke, and to make them a
prosperous and happy people. But we know that he came to deliver us from
the yoke of sin and Satan, to reconcile us to God by the death of his cross, to
teachus, not by his word only, but by his Spirit, and finally, to save us with an
everlasting salvation. Are not we then bound to bless and adore his name?
Moreover, we have a far deeper insight into the extent of his benefits. If the
Disciples had seentheir nation raised to universal empire, and enjoying
uninterrupted peace and prosperity, they would have been wellsatisfied, and
would have lookedfor nothing beyond it, especiallyif they themselves were
exalted to the highestoffices of dignity and power. But we look for infinitely
richer benefits at his hands. We expectthe pardon of sin, and peace with God,
and victory over our spiritual enemies, and “a kingdom that cannot be
moved.” Shall we then refuse to praise him? “If we should hold our peace, will
not the very stones cry out againstus?”]

104. This being clear, we shall proceed to,
II. Enforce our duty from some additional considerations—
That we may be excitedto rend the air with our acclamations and hosannas,
let us consider,
1. How delightful a duty this is!
[It is justly observedby the Psalmist, that it is not only “a good,” but also “a
pleasantthing to be thankful.” Who can doubt which were the happier, the
disciples who shouted forth the praises of their Lord, or the Pharisees, who,
with malignant jealousy, strove to silence them? Indeed, a devout and grateful
spirit is a foretaste of heavenitself; and, as far as relates to the outward
exercise oftheir affection, the Disciples onthat occasionstronglyresembled
the heavenly hosts:they all were penetrated with fervent love to the same
divine object, and exerted all their powers to magnify his name. Let us then,
eachin his place and station, be followers of them; and our happiness shall
surely rise with our employment.]
2. How reasonable a duty it is!
[The Pharisees,if they had been askedthe reasonof their conduct, would
doubtless have offered many specious arguments in vindication of themselves.
They might have imputed the conduct of the Disciples to enthusiasm,
ostentation, hypocrisy. They might have blamed Jesus for suffering them to
raise such a tumult, and to endanger thereby the peace of the whole city. They
might have ascribedhis acquiescence to vain-glory, and a love of popularity,

105. which did but ill accordwith his pretensions to superior wisdom and humility.
This would have appeared very satisfactory in their eyes;and they, like our
modern Pharisees,wouldhave arrogatedto themselves the exclusive name of
rational Christians. But we know on whose side reasonwas in the instance
before us: and as long as infinite greatness,and unbounded goodness, deserve
our admiration, so long will it be reasonable to bless and magnify our
adorable Jesus with all our might.]
3. How necessarya duty it is!
[The Pharisees thoughtthat, if Jesus merited any respectat all, his Disciples
should have regardedhim only with silent reverence, insteadof attracting so
much attention by their clamorous proceedings. Butour Lord told them, that
silent reverence, howevergreat, was not sufficient; that they were bound to
give a public testimony of their affection;and that, if they withheld it, they
would be traitors to his cause. Thoughtherefore we be not calledto bear our
testimony precisely in the same way, yet are we all bound to confess Christ
before men [Note: Matthew 10:32-33.], and to let it be seen, “Whosewe are,
and whom we serve.”
Shall it be said, That there is no such occasionnow for our public
acknowledgementsas there was then; we answer, Thatthe world needs as
much as everto have their attention drawn to the Lord Jesus, and to be
stimulated to love and serve him. And, if this were not the case, stillit would
be our duty to confess him openly, since in heaven, where he is universally
known, he is universally and incessantlyadored.]
Address [Note:If this be the subject of a Commemoration Sermon, the
particular blessings that are commemoratedshould be opened in this place,
and the audience be exhorted, in their carnal feasting, not to be unmindful of

106. that spiritual joy which the occasiondemands. In this case,the following
address might be omitted.]—
1. Those who, like the Pharisees,have no heart to adore the Lord—
[It is not difficult to determine who would have taken part with the Disciples,
and who with the Pharisees. We needonly ask, Whatis our conduct now? Are
we frequently and fervently engagedin the secretexercisesofthe closet, and
are we bold in confessing Christbefore an ungodly world? Or are we formal
in secretduties, and ready to blame the superior zeal of others? If we be of
this latter class, we should surely have joined the Pharisees in their opposition
to the Disciples. To suchthen we say, Deceive notyourselves with vain
excuses:nor think to justify yourselves by condemning others. Suppose for a
moment that the Disciples, in their zeal, had exceededthe strict bounds of
prudence and propriety: was that any reasonwhy the Pharisees shouldrender
him no praise at all? Was less due from them, because others paid too much?
Yea rather, was not their pretended zeal for propriety, a mere cloak for their
own envy or indifference? Away then with such base dispositions as they
manifested; and, instead of blaming the zeal of others, endeavour to “glorify
Christ with your body and your spirit which are his [Note: 1 Corinthians
6:20.].” Far be it from us to countenance excess:but in this lukewarm age, we
are far more in danger of erring from defect. This, at least, is your danger,
whilst, with all your jealousyabout being “righteous over-much,” you have no
fears lest you should not be found “righteous enough.” To you therefore, in
the name, and by the command, of Christ himself, we say, “Be zealous and
repent [Note:Revelation3:19.].”]
2. Those who, like the Disciples, feeltheir hearts warmed with love to Christ—

107. [You must expect to meet with opposition from the world, and especiallyfrom
proud, envious, malignant Pharisees. Butlet not the fearof their censures
deter you from the path of duty [Note:Hebrews 13:13.]. If Jesus have given
up his life for you, it is a small matter for you to give up your names for him:
and if you will not bear so light a cross as that of being calledby some
opprobrious name for him, you have little reasonto number yourselves
among his true disciples [Note: Matthew 10:38.]. It will be proper indeed for
you to considertimes and places, and sometimes to lay a restraint on your
feelings, Jestby an unseasonable disclosureofthem, you “castyour pearls
before swine, that will only turn and rend you [Note: Matthew 7:6.].” But let
not the fear of man be the restraining principle: rather, let the love of Christ
be the one motive for moderating, as wellas for exhibiting, the proofs of your
love. Then shall you in due seasonhave a public testimony of his approbation,
when those who now condemn you shall be themselves condemned.]
Pulpit
Volume 12 1
1
PRAISE YOUR GOD, O ZION
NO. 678
A SERMON
DELIVERED ON SUNDAY MORNING, FEBRUARY25, 1866,
BY C. H. SPURGEON,
AT THE METROPOLITAN TABERNACLE,NEWINGTON.
“And when he was come nigh, even now at the descentof the mount of Olives,
the whole multitude of the

108. disciples began to rejoice and praise Godwith a loud voice for all the mighty
works that they had
seen;saying, Blessedbe the King that comes in the name of the Lord: peace in
heaven, and
glory in the highest. And some of the Pharisees from among the multitude said
unto him,
Master, rebuke your disciples. And he answeredand said unto them, I tell you
that,
if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out.”
Luke 19:37-40.
THE Savior was “a man of sorrows,”but every thoughtful mind has
discoveredthe fact that down
deep in His innermost soulHe must have carried an inexhaustible treasury of
refined and heavenly joy. I
suppose that of all the human race there was never a man who had a deeper,
purer, or more abiding
peace than our Lord Jesus Christ. “He was anointed with the oil of gladness
above His fellows.”
Benevolence is joy. The highest benevolence must from the very nature of
things have afforded the
deepestpossible delight. To be engagedin the most blessedof all errands, to
foresee the marvelous
results of His labors in time and in eternity, and even to see around Him the
fruits of the goodwhich He
had done in the healing of the sick and the raising of the dead, must have
given to such a sympathetic

109. heart as that which beat within the bosomof the Lord Jesus Christ much of
secretsatisfactionand joy.
There were a few remarkable seasons whenthis joy manifested itself. “At
that hour Jesus rejoicedin
spirit and said, I thank you, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth.” Christ had
His songs though it was
night with Him, and though His face was marred, and His countenance had
lost the luster of earthly
happiness, yet sometimes it was lit up with a matchless splendor of
unparalleled satisfaction, as He
thought upon the recompense ofthe reward, and in the midst of the
congregationsang His praise unto
God.
In this, the Lord Jesus is a blessedpicture of His church on earth. This is the
day of Zion’s trouble, at
this hour the church expects to walk in sympathy with her Lord along a
thorny road. She is without the
camp—through much tribulation she is forcing her way to the crown. She
expects to meet with
reproaches. To bearthe cross is her office, and to be scornedand counted an
alien by her mother’s
children is her lot. And yet the church has a deep well of joy, of which none
can drink but her own
children. There are stores ofwine, and oil, and corn, hidden in the midst of
our Jerusalem, upon which
the saints of God are evermore sustainedand nurtured, and sometimes, as in
our Savior’s case, we have

110. our seasons ofintense delight, for “there is a river, the streams whereofmake
glad the city of our God.”
Exiles though we be, we rejoice in our King, yea in Him we exceedingly
rejoice, while in His name we
setup our banners.
This is a seasonwith us as a church when we are peculiarly called upon to
rejoice in God. The Lord
Jesus, in the narrative before us, was going to Jerusalem, as His disciples
fondly hoped, to take the
throne of David and setup the long-expectedkingdom. Well might they shout
for joy, for the Lord was
in their midst, in their midst in state, riding amidst the acclamations ofa
multitude who had been glad
partakers of His goodness. Jesus Christis in our midst today, the kingdom is
securelyHis. We see the
crownglittering upon His brow, He has been riding through our streets,
healing our blind, raising our
dead, and speaking words ofcomfort to our mourners. We, too, attend Him in
state today, and the
acclamations oflittle children are not wanting, for from our Sunday school
there have come songs of
Praise Your God, O Zion Sermon #678
Volume 12
2
2
convertedyoungsters, who sing gladly, as did the children of Jerusalemin
days of yore, “Hosanna!

111. Blessedis he that comes in the name of the Lord!”
I want, dear friends, this morning, to stir up in all of us the spirit of holy joy,
because our King is in
our midst, that we may welcome Him and rejoice in Him, and that while He is
working His mighty
deeds of salvationthroughout this congregationso graciously, He may not
lack such music as our feeble
lips canafford Him. I shall therefore invite your attention to these four verses,
by way of example, that
we may take a pattern for our praise from this inspired description. We shall
observe four things, first,
delightful praise, secondly, appropriate song, thirdly, intrusive objections,
fourthly, an unanswerable
argument.
I. First, we shall observe here DELIGHTFUL PRAISE.
In the thirty-seventh verse every word is significant, and deserves the careful
notice of all who
would learn aright the lessonofhow to magnify the Savior. To begin with, the
praise rendered to Christ
was speedypraise. The happy choristers did not waittill He had entered the
city, but “when he was
come nigh, even now, at the descentof the mount of Olives, they began to
rejoice.” It is well to have a
quick eye to perceive occasions forgratitude. Blind unbelief and blear-eyed
thanklessnessallow the
favors of God to lie forgottenin unthankfulness, and without praises, die, they
walk in the noonday of

112. mercy and see no light to sing by, but a believing, cheerful, gratefulspirit,
detects at once the rising of
the Sun of mercy, and begins to sing, even at the break of day.
Christian, if you would sing of the mercy you have already, you would soon
have more. If twilight
made you glad, you should soonhave the bliss of noon. I am certain that the
church in these days has
lost much, by not being thankful for little. We have had many prayer
meetings, but few, very few, praise
meetings, as if the church could cry loud enough when her own ends were to
be answered, but was
dumb as to music for her Lord. Her King acts to her very much as He did
with the man with the pound.
That man put not out the pound to interest, and therefore it was takenaway.
We have not thanked Him
for little mercies, and therefore even these have been removed, and churches
have become barren and
desertedby the Spirit of God.
Let us lift up the voice of praise to our Master, becauseHe has blessedus
these twelve years. We
have had a continual stream of revival. The cries of sinners have sounded in
our ears—everyday we
have seensouls converted—Iwas about to sayalmost every hour of the week,
and that by the space of
these twelve years, and of late, we have had a double portion. Benjamin’s
mess has been setnear our

113. place at the table, we have been made to feaston royal dainties, and have been
filled with bread even to
the fill. Shall we not then praise God? Ah! let us not require twice telling of it,
but let our souls begin to
praise Him, even now, that He comes nigh unto Jerusalem.
It strikes us at once, also, that this was unanimous praise. Observe, not only
the multitude, but the
whole multitude of the disciples rejoiced, and praised Him, not one silent
tongue among the disciples—
not one who withheld his song. And yet, I suppose, those disciples had their
trials as we have ours.
There might have been a sick wife at home, or a child withering with disease.
They were doubtless poor,
we know they were, indeed, and poverty is never without its pinches. They
were men of like passions
with ourselves, they had to struggle with inbred sin, and with temptation from
without, and yet there
seems to have been no one who on those grounds excluded himself from the
choir of singers on that
happy day.
Oh, my soul, whateveryou have about you which might bow you down, be
you glad when you
remember that Jesus Christ is glorified in the midst of His church. Wherefore,
my brother, is that harp of
yours hanging on the willows? Have you nothing to sing about? Has He done
nothing for you? Why, if

114. you have no personalreasonfor blessing God, then lend us your heart and
voice to help us, for we have
more praise-work on hand than we can getthrough alone—wehave more to
praise Him for than we are
able to discharge without extra aid. Our work of praise is too greatfor us,
come and help us, sing on our
behalf, if you cannot on your own, and then, perhaps, you will catchthe flame,
and find something after
all for which you, too, must bless Him.
Sermon #678 Praise Your God, O Zion
Volume 12
3
3
I know there are some of you who do not feelas if you could praise God this
morning, let us ask the
Masterto put your harp in tune. Oh be not silent! Be not silent! Do bless Him!
If you cannot bless Him
for temporals, do bless Him for spirituals, and if you have not of late
experientially enjoyed many of
these, then bless Him for what He is. Forthat dear face, coveredwith the
bloody sweat, forthose pierced
hands, for that opened side, will you not praise Him? Why, surely, if He had
not died for me, yet I must
love Him, to think of His goodnessin dying for others. His kindness, the
generosityof His noble heart in
dying for His enemies might well provoke the most unbelieving to a song. I
am, therefore, not content

115. unless all of you will contribute your note. I would have every bird throw in
its note, though some
cannot imitate the lark or nightingale, yea, I would have every tree of the
forestclap its hands, and even
the hyssopon the wall wave in adoration. Come, beloved, cheerup. Let dull
care and dark fear be gone.
Up with harps and down with doubts. It must be praise from “the whole
multitude.” The praise must be
unanimous—not one chord out of order to spoil the tune.
Next, it was multitudinous. “The whole multitude.” There is something most
inspiriting and
exhilarating in the noise of a multitude singing God’s praises. Sometimes,
when we have been in good
tune, and have sung “Praise Godfrom whom all blessings flow,” our music
has rolled upward like
thunder to yon dome, and has reverberated peal on peal, and these have been
the happiest moments
some of us have ever known, when every tongue was praise, and every heart
was joy. Oh, let us renew
those happy times, let us anticipate the seasonwhenthe dwellers in the East
and in the West, in the
North and in the South, of every age and of every clime, shall assemble on the
celestialhilltops, and
swellthe everlasting song, extolling Jesus Lord of all. Jesus loves the praise of
many, He loves to hear
the voices ofall the blood-washed—
“Tenthousand thousand are their tongues,

116. But all their joys are one.”
We are not so many as that, but we are counted by thousands, so let us praise
His name—the whole
multitude.
Still it is worthy of observationthat, while the praise was multitudinous, it
was quite select. It was
the whole multitude “of the disciples.” The Phariseesdid not praise Him—
they were murmuring. All
true praise must come from true hearts. If you do not learn of Christ, you
cannot render to Him
acceptable song. Thesedisciples, ofcourse, were ofdifferent sorts. Some of
them had but just enlisted in
the army—just learnedto sit at His feet. Some had workedmiracles in His
name, and having been called
to the apostolic office, had preachedthe Word to others, but they were all
disciples. I trust that in this
congregationthere is a vast majority of disciples, well, then, all of you, you
who have lately come into
His school, you who have long been in it, you who have become fathers in
Israel, and are teaching
others, the whole multitude of disciples, I hope, will praise God.
I could wish—Godgrant the wish—I could wish that those who are not
disciples might soonbecome
so. “Take my yoke upon you,” says He, “and learn of me, for I am meek and
lowly in heart.” A disciple
is a learner. You may not know much, but you need not know anything in
coming to Christ. Christ

117. begins with ignorance, and bestows wisdom. If you do but know that you
know nothing, you know
enough to become a disciple of Christ Jesus. There is no matriculation
necessaryin order to enter into
Christ’s college. He takes the fools, and makes them know the wonders of His
dying love. Oh that you
may become a disciple! “Write my name down, sir,” sayyou to the writer with
the inkhorn by his side,
and be you henceforth a humble followerof the Lamb.
Now, though I would not have those who are not disciples close their mouths
wheneverothers sing,
yet I do think there are some hymns in which they would behave more
honestly if they did not join, for
there are some expressions whichhardly ought to come from unconverted
lips, better far would it be if
they would pray, “Lord, open my lips, and my mouth shall show forth your
praise.” You may have a
very sweetvoice, my friend, and may sing with admirable taste and in
exquisite harmony any of the
Praise Your God, O Zion Sermon #678
Volume 12
4
4
parts, but God does not acceptthe praise where the heart is absent. The best
tune in the book is one
calledHearts. The whole multitude of the disciples whom Jesus loves are the
proper persons to extol the

118. Redeemer’s name. May you, dear hearer, be among that company!
Then, in the next place, you will observe that the praise they rendered was
joyful praise. “The whole
multitude of the disciples began to rejoice.” I hope the doctrine that
Christians ought to be gloomywill
soonbe driven out of the universe. There are no people in the world who have
such a right to be happy,
nor have such cause to be joyful as the saints of the living God. All Christian
duties should be done
joyfully, but especiallythe work of praising the Lord. I have been in
congregations where the tune was
dolorous to the very last degree, where the time was so dreadfully slow that
one wonderedwhether they
would ever be able to sing through the 119thPsalm, whether, to use Watts’s
expression, eternity would
not be too short for them to getthrough it, and altogetherthe spirit of the
people has seemedto be so
damp, so heavy, so dead, that we might have supposedthat they were met to
prepare their minds for
hanging rather than for blessing the ever-graciousGod.
Why, brethren, true praise sets the heart ringing its bells, and hanging out its
streamers. Neverhang
your flag at half-mast when you praise God, no, run up every color, let every
banner wave in the breeze,
and let all the powers and passions ofyour spirit exult and rejoice in God your
Savior. They rejoiced.

119. We are really most horribly afraid of being too happy. Some Christians think
cheerfulness a very
dangerous folly, if not a ruinous vice. That joyous Hundredth Psalmhas been
altered in all the English
versions—
“All people that on earth do dwell,
Sing to the Lord with cheerful voice,
Him serve with fear, His praise forth tell,
Come ye before Him and rejoice.”
“Him serve with fear,” says the English version, but the Scotchversion has
less thistle and far more
rose in it. Listen to it, and catchits holy happiness—
“Him serve with mirth, His praise forth tell;
Come ye before Him and rejoice.”
How do God’s creatures serve Him out of doors? The birds do not sit on a
Sunday with folded
wings, dolefully silent on the boughs of the trees, but they sing as sweetlyas
may be, even though the
raindrops fall. As for the newborn lambs in the field—they skip to His praise,
though the seasonis damp
and cold. Heaven and earth are lit up with gladness, and why not the hearts
and houses of the saints?
“Him serve with mirth.” Well said the Psalmist, “before him exceedingly
rejoice.” It was joyful praise.
The next point we must mention is, that it was demonstrative praise. They
praised Him with their

120. voices, and with a loud voice. Propriety very greatly objects to the praise
which is rendered by Primitive
Methodists at times, their shouts and hallelujahs are thought by some delicate
minds to be very
shocking. I would not, however, join in the censure, lestI should be numbered
among the Pharisees who
said, “Master, rebuke Your disciples.” I wish more people were as earnestand
even as vehement as the
Methodists used to be. In our Lord’s day we see that the people expressedthe
joy which they felt, I am
not sure that they expressedit in the most tunable manner, but at any rate
they expressedit in a hearty,
lusty shout. They altogetherpraised with a loud voice.
It is said of Mr. Rowland Hill that, on one occasion, some one saton the
pulpit stairs, who sang in
his ears with such a sharp shrill voice, that he could endure it no longer, but
said to the goodwoman, “I
wish you would be quiet,” when she answered, “Itcomes from my heart.”
“Oh,” said he, “pray forgive
me—sing away, sing as loudly as you will.” And truly, dear friends, though
one might wish there were
more melody in it, yet if your music comes from the heart, we cannot objectto
the loudness, or we
might be found objecting to that which the Savior could not and would not
blame. Must we not be loud?
Do you wonder that we speak out? Have not His mercies a loud tongue? Do
not His kindnesses deserve

121. Sermon #678 Praise Your God, O Zion
Volume 12
5
5
to be proclaimedaloud? Were not the cries upon the cross so loud that the
very rocks were rent thereby,
and shall our music be a whisper? No, as Watts declares, we would—
“Loud as His thunders shout His praise,
And sound it lofty as His throne.”
If not with loud voices actually in sound, yet we would make the praise of
God loud by our actions,
which speak louder than any words, we would extol Him by great deeds of
kindness, and love, and selfdenial, and zeal, that so that our actions may assist
our words. “The whole multitude praised Him with a
loud voice.” Let me ask every Christian here to do something in the praise of
God, to speak in some way
for his Master. I would say, speak today, if you cannot with your voice, speak
by act and deed, but join
in the hearty shout of all the saints of God while you praise and bless the name
of our ever gracious
Lord.
The praise rendered, however, though very demonstrative, was very
reasonable, the reasonis
given—“forall the mighty works that they had seen.” Mydear friends, we
have seenmany mighty

122. works which Christ has done. I do not know what these disciples had happen
to see. Certainit is that
after Christ enteredinto Jerusalem, He was lavish of His miracles. The blind
were healed, the deaf had
their ears opened, many of those possessedwith devils were delivered, and
incurable diseases gave way
at His word. I think we have the like reasonin a spiritual sense. Whathas God
wrought? It has been
marvelous—as our elders would tell you, if they could recount what God has
done—the many who have
come forward during the last fortnight to tell what God has done for their
souls. The Holy Spirit has met
with some whom hitherto no ministry had reached. Some have been convinced
of sin who were wrapped
up in self-righteous rags, others have been comforted whose desponding
hearts drew nigh unto despair.
I am sure those brethren who sat to see inquirers must have been astonished
when they found some
hundreds coming to talk about the things that make for their peace. It was
blessedwork, I doubt not, for
them. They, therefore, would lead the strain. But you have all in your measure
seensomething of it.
During the meetings we have held we have enjoyed an overpowering sense of
the divine presence.
Without excitement there has been a holy bowed-ness ofspirit, and yet a
blessedlifting up of hope, and
joy, and holy fervor. The Masterhas castsweetsmiles upon His church; He
has come near to His

123. beloved, He has given her the tokens of His affection, and made her to rejoice
with joy unspeakable.
Any joy which we have towards Christ, then, will be reasonable enough, for
we have seenHis mighty
works.
With another remark I shall close this first head—the reasonfor their joy
was a personalone. There
is no praise to God so sweetas that which flows from the man who has tasted
that the Lord is gracious.
Some of you have been converted during the last two or three months. Oh!
you must bless Him, you
shall, you must take the front rank now, and bless His name for the mighty
work which you have seenin
yourself. The things which once were dear to you, you now abhor, and those
things which seemeddry
and empty are now sweetand full of savor. Godhas turned your darkness into
light. He has brought you
up out of the horrible pit, and out of the miry clay, and has set your feetupon
a rock, shall not your
establishedgoings yield Him a grateful song? You shall bless Him. Others
here present have had their
own children saved. God has lookedon one family and another, and taken
one, and two, and three. He
has been pleasedto lay His hand upon the elders among us, and bless their
families. Oh sing unto His
name! Sing praises for the mighty works which we have seen.

124. This will be commonplace talk enough to those of you who have not seenit,
but those who have,
will feelthe tears starting to their eyes as they think of sonand daughter, of
whom they can say,
“Behold, he prays.” Saints of God, I wish I could snatcha firebrand from the
altar of praise that burns
before the greatthrone of God, I wish I could fire your hearts therewith, but it
is the Master’s work to do
it. Oh! may He do it now. May every one of you feelas if you could castyour
crownat His feet, as if
you could sing like the cherubim and the seraphim, nor yield even the first
place of gratitude to the
Praise Your God, O Zion Sermon #678
Volume 12
6
6
brightest spirit before the eternalthrone. This morning may it be truly said,
“The whole multitude of the
disciples rejoicedwith a loud voice for all the mighty things which they had
seen.”—
“O come, loud anthems let us sing,
Loud thanks to our Almighty King;
For we our voices high should raise,
When our salvation’s rock we praise.
Into His presence letus haste,

125. To thank Him for His favors past;
To Him address, in joyful songs,
The praise that to His name belongs.”
II. I shall now lead you on to the secondpoint—their praise found vent for
itself in AN
APPROPRIATE SONG. “Blessedbe the King that comes in the name of the
Lord. Peacein heaven, and
glory in the highest.”
It was an appropriate song, if you will remember that it had Christ for its
subject. “My heart is
inditing of a goodmatter, I speak of the things which I have made touching
the king.” No song is so
sweetfrom believing lips as that which tells of Him who loved us and who
gave Himself for us. This
particular song sings of Christ in His characterof King—a right royal song
then—a melody fit for a
coronationday. Crown Him! crownHim Lord of all! That was the refrain—
“Blessedbe the King.” It
sang of that King as commissionedby the MostHigh, “who comes in the name
of the Lord.” To think of
Christ as bearing divine authority, as coming down to men in God our
Father’s name, speaking whatHe
has heard in heaven, fulfilling no self-espousederrand, but a missionupon
which the divine Father sent
Him according to His purpose and decree, all this is matter for music.
Oh bless the Lord, you saints, as you remember that your Savioris the Lord’s
anointed, He has set

126. Him on His throne, He JEHOVAH, who was pleasedto bruise Him, has said,
“Yet have I setmy king
upon my holy hill of Zion.” See the Godheadof your Savior. He whom you
adore, the Sonof Mary, is
the Sonof God. He who did ride upon a colt the foal of an ass, did also ride
upon a cherub and did fly,
yea, He rode upon the wings of the wind. They spreadtheir garments in the
way, and broke down
branches, it was a humble triumph, but long ere this the angels had strewn
His path with adoring songs.
Before Him went the lightnings, coals of fire were in His track, and up from
His throne went forth
hailstones and coals of fire. Blessedbe the King! Oh praise Him this day,
praise the King, divine, and
commissionedof His Father.
The burden of their song was, however, ofChrist present in their midst. I do
not think they would
have rejoicedso loudly and sweetlyif He had not been there. That was the
source and center of their
mirth—the King riding upon a coltthe foal of an ass—the King triumphant.
They could not but be glad
when He revealedHimself. Beloved, our King is here. We sang at the
beginning of this visitation,
“Arise, O King of grace, arise, andenter to Thy rest!” You remember our
singing the verse—
“O Thou that art the Mighty One,
Thy swordgird on Thy thigh.”

127. And King Jesus has done so in state, He has ridden prosperously, and out of
the ivory palaces His
heart has been made glad, and the King’s daughter, all-glorious within,
standing at His right hand,
cannot but be glad too. Loud to His praise wake every string of your heart,
and let your souls make the
Lord Jesus the burden of their song.
This was an appropriate song, in the next place, because it had God for its
object, they extolled God,
God in Christ, when they thus lifted up their voices. Theysaid, “Peace in
heaven, and glory in the
Sermon #678 Praise Your God, O Zion
Volume 12
7
7
highest.” When we extol Christ, we desire to bless the infinite majesty that
gave Christ to us. Thanks be
unto the Fatherfor His unspeakable gift.
O You eternal God, we Your creatures in this little world do unfeignedly bless
You for that great
purpose and decree, by which You did choose us to be illustrious exhibitions
of Your majesty and love.
We bless You that You did give us grace in Christ Your Son before the starry
sky was spreadabroad.
We praise You, O God, and magnify Your name as we inquire, “Whatis man,
that you are mindful of

128. him, or the son of man, that you visit him?” How could You deign to stoop
from all the glory of Your
infinity to be made man, to suffer, to bleed, to die for us? “Give unto the
LORD, O you mighty, give
unto the LORD glory and strength. Give unto the LORD the glory due unto
His name.” Oh that I could
give place to some inspired bard, some seerof old, who standing before You
with mouth streaming with
holy eloquence, should extol Him that lives, but once was slain, and bless the
God who sent Him here
below that He might redeem unto Himself a people who should show forth His
praise.
I think this song to have been very appropriate for another reason, namely,
because it had the
universe for its scope. It was not praise within walls as ours this morning, the
multitude sung in the open
air with no walls but the horizon, with no roof but the un-pillared arch of
heaven. Their song, though it
was from heaven, did not stay there but enclosedthe world within its range. It
was, “Peacein heaven,
and glory in the highest.” It is very singularly like that song of the angels, that
Christmas carolof the
spirits from on high when Christ was born, but it differs, for the angels’song
was, “Peaceonearth,” and
this at the gates ofJerusalemwas, “Peacein heaven.” It is the nature of song
to spread itself. From
heaven the sacredjoy began when angels sang, and then the fire blazed down
to earth in the words,

129. “Peaceonearth,” but now the song began on earth, and so it blazed up to
heaven with the words, “Peace
in heaven, and glory in the highest.”
Is it not a wonderful thing that a company of poor beings, like we here below,
can really affectthe
highest heavens? Everythrob of gratitude which heaves our hearts glows
through heaven. God can
receive no actualincrease of glory from His creature, for He has infinite glory
and majesty, but yet the
creature manifests that glory. A grateful man here below, when his heart is all
on fire with sacredlove,
warms heavenitself. The multitude sung of peace in heaven, as though the
angels were establishedin
their peacefulseats by the Savior, as though the war which God had waged
with sin was over now,
because the conquering King was come. Oh let us seek aftermusic which shall
be fitted for other
spheres!I would begin the music here, and so my soul should rise. Oh for
some heavenly notes to bear
my passions to the skies!It was appropriate to the occasion, because the
universe was its sphere.
And it seems also to have been most appropriate, because it had gratitude for
its spirit. They cried
aloud, “Blessed”—“Blessedbe the King.” We cannot bless God, and yet we do
bless Him, in the sense
in which He blesses us. Our goodnesscannotextend to Him, but we reflect the
blessednesswhich

130. streams from Him as light from the sun. Blessedbe Jesus!
My brethren, have you never wished to make Him happier? Have you not
wished that you could
extol Him? Let Him be exalted! Let Him sit on high! I have almostwished
even selfishly that He were
not as glorious as He is, that we might help to lift Him higher. Oh! if the
crushing of my body, soul, and
spirit would make Him one atom more glorious, I would not only consent to
the sacrifice, but bless His
name that He counted me worthy to do so. All that we can do brings nothing
to Him.
Yet, brethren, I would that He had His own. Oh that He rode over our great
land in triumph! Would
that King Jesus were as wellknown here now as He was once in puritanic
times! Would that Scotland
were as loyal to Him as in covenanting periods! Would that Jesus had His
majesty visible in the eyes of
all men! We pray for this, we seek forthis, and among the chief joys our
chiefestjoy is to know that
God has highly exalted Him, and given Him a name which is above every
name, that at the name of
Jesus everyknee should bow. We have thus said something about the
appropriateness of the song, may
you, eachof you, light upon such hymns as will serve to set forth your own
case and show forth the
mercy of God in saving you, and do not be slack in praising Him in suchnotes
as may be most suitable

131. to your own condition.
Praise Your God, O Zion Sermon #678
Volume 12
8
8
III. Thirdly, and very briefly—for I am not going to give much time to these
men—we have
INTRUSIVE OBJECTIONS. “Master, rebuke your disciples.” We know that
voice—the old grunt of the
Pharisee. Whatcould he do otherwise? Suchis the man, and such must his
communications be. While he
can dare to boast, “God, I thank you that I am not as other men are,” he is not
likely to join in praises
such as other men lift up to heaven.
But why did these Pharisees object? Isuppose it was first of all because they
thought there would be
no praise for them. If the multitude had been saying, “Oh these blessed
Pharisees!these excellent
Pharisees!What broad phylacteries! What admirable hems to their garments!
How diligently and
scrupulously they tithe their mint and their anise and their cumin! What a
wonder that God should
permit us poor vile creatures to look upon these super-excellentincarnations
of virtue!” I will be bound
to say there would not have been a man among them who would have said,
“Master, rebuke your

132. disciples.” A proud heart never praises God, for it hoards up praise for itself.
In the next place, they were jealous of the people. They did not feel so happy
themselves, and they
could not bear that other people should be glad. They were like the elder
brother who said, “Yet you
never gave me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends.” Was that a
reasonwhy nobody else
should be merry? A very ill reasontruly! Oh, if we cannotrejoice ourselves,
let us stand out of the way
of other people. If we have no music in our own hearts, let us not wish to stop
those who have.
But I think the main point was that they were jealous of Jesus, they did not
like to have Christ
crownedwith majesty. Certainly this is the drift of the human heart. It does
not wish to see Jesus Christ
extolled. Preachup morality or dry doctrine, or ceremonies, andmany will be
glad to hear your notes,
but preachJesus Christ up, and some will say, “Master, rebuke your
disciples!” It was not ill advice of
an old preacherto a young beginner, when he said, “Preachnothing down but
sin, and preach nothing up
but Christ.”
Brethren, let us praise nothing up but Christ. Have nothing to say about your
church, say nothing
about your denomination, hold your tongue about the minister, but praise
Christ, and I know the

133. Pharisees willnot like it, but that is an excellentreasonto give them more of
it, for that which Satan
does not admire, he ought to have more of. The preaching of Christ is the
whip that flogs the devil, the
preaching of Christ is the thunderbolt, the sound of which makes all hell
shake. Let us never be silent
then, we shall put to confusionall our foes, if we do but extol Christ Jesus the
Lord. “Master, rebuke
your disciples!”
Well, there is not much of this for Jesus Christ to rebuke in the Christian
church in the presentday.
There used to be—there used to be a little of what the world calls fanaticism.
A consecratedcobbler
once setforth to preachthe Gospelin India. There were men who would go
preaching the Gospelamong
the heathen, counting not their lives dear unto them. The day was when the
church was so foolishas to
fling awayprecious lives for Christ’s glory. Ah! she is more prudent
nowadays. Alas!Alas! for your
prudence. She is so calm and so quiet—no Methodist’s zeal now—eventhat
denomination which did
seemalive has become most proper and most cold. And we are so charitable
too. We let the most
abominable doctrines be preached, and we put our finger on our lip, and say,
“There’s so many good
people who think so.” Nothing is to be rebuked nowadays. Brethren, one’s
soul is sick of this! Oh, for

134. the old fire again!The church will never prosper till it comes once more. Oh,
for the old fanaticism, for
that indeed was the Spirit of God making men’s spirits in earnest!Oh, for the
old doing and daring that
riskedeverything and caredfor nothing, except to glorify Him who shed His
blood upon the cross!May
we live to see such bright and holy days again! The world may murmur, but
Christ will not rebuke.
IV. We come now to the lastpoint, which is this—AN UNANSWERABLE
ARGUMENT. He said,
“If these should hold their peace, the very stones would cry out.”
Brethren, I think that is very much our case.If we were not to praise God,
the very stones might cry
out againstus. We must praise the Lord. Woe unto us if we do not! It is
impossible for us to hold our
tongues. Savedfrom hell and be silent! Secure of heaven and be ungrateful!
Bought with precious blood,
and hold our tongues? Filled with the Spirit and not speak!Restrain, from
fear of feeble man, the Spirit’s
Sermon #678 Praise Your God, O Zion
Volume 12
9
9
course within our souls!God forbid. In the name of the MostHigh, let such a
thought be given to the
winds. What, our children are saved, the offspring of our loins brought to
Christ! What, see them

135. springing up like willows by the water courses,and no awakening ofsong, no
gladness, no delight! Oh,
then we were worse than brutes, and our hearts would have been steeledand
become as adamant. We
must praise God!
What, the King in our midst, King Jesus smiling into our souls, feasting us at
His table, making His
Word precious to us, and not praise Him. Why if Satan could know the
delight of Christ’s company he
might begin to love—but we, we were worse than devils if we did not praise
the name of Jesus!What!
the King’s arm made bare, His enemies subdued, His triumphant chariot
rolling through our streets, and
no song! Oh Zion, if we forget to sing let our right hand forget her cunning, if
we count not the King’s
triumph above our chiefestjoy. What, the King coming! His advent drawing
nigh, the signs of blessing
in the skyand air abound, and yet no song!Oh, we must bless Him! Hosanna!
Blessedis He that comes
in the name of the Lord!
But could the stones ever cry out? Yes, that they could, and if they were to
speak they would have
much to talk of even as we have this day. If the stones were to speak they
could tell of their Maker, and
shall not we tell of Him who made us anew, and out of stones raisedup
children unto Abraham? They

136. could speak of ages long since gone, the old rocks couldtell of chaos and
order, and the handiwork of
God in various stages ofcreation’s drama, and cannot we talk of God’s
decrees, ofGod’s greatwork in
ancient times, and all that He did for His church? If the stones were to speak
they could tell of their
breaker, how He took them from the quarry, and made them fit for the
temple, and cannot we tell of our
Creatorand Maker, who broke our hearts with the hammer of His word that
He might build us into His
temple?
If the stones were to speak they would tell of their builder, who polished them
and fashionedthem
after the similitude of a palace, and shall not we talk of our Architect and
Builder, who has put us in our
place in the temple of the living God? Oh, if the stones could speak, theymight
have a long, long story
to tell by way of memorial, for many a time has a greatstone been rolled as a
memorial unto God, and
we can tell of Ebenezers, stones ofhelp, stones of remembrance. The broken
stones of the law cry out
againstus, but Christ Himself, who has rolled away the stone from the door of
the sepulcher, speaks for
us. Stones might well cry out, but we will not let them, we will hush their noise
with ours, we will break
forth into sacredsong, and bless the majestyof the MostHigh all our days.
Let this day and tomorrow

137. be especiallyconsecratedto holy joys, and may the Lord in infinite mercy, fill
your souls right full of it,
both in practicaldeeds of kindness and benevolence and works of praise!
Blessedbe His name who lives
forever and ever!
END OF PRECEPT AUSTIN RESOURCES
Will the Stones Really Cry Out?
November 23, 2016 / Jerry Cisar
Reading:Luke 19:28–48Openin Logos Bible Software (if available)
The scene is the “Triumphal Entry”. Jesus is on a donkey coltentering
Jerusalemas people spread their cloaks onthe road in front of him, joyfullly
shouting praises to God, “Blessedis the king who comes in the name of the
Lord!” (Luke 19:37-38Openin Logos Bible Software (if available)) This
declarationof Jesus as the king of Israel, the son of David, the One who comes
in the name of the Lord, provokeda rebuke from the Pharisees.
39Some ofthe Phariseesin the crowdsaid to Jesus, “Teacher, rebuke your
disciples!” 40“Itell you,” he replied, “if they keepquiet, the stones will cry
out.”

138. This statementby Jesus is the subjectof some choruses and has brought about
many statements about how we might see rocks singing the praises of Jesus if
we don’t! Maybe… but, maybe not. Allow me to suggestthat Jesus wasn’t
saying that the stones will sing praises if the disciples stop singing them. You
don’t even have to know Greek to see it; I’m talking about what your English
translations say (just like the Greek). It doesn’t say the stones will sing praises
if the disciples don’t.
What does it say? It says that if the disciples don’t joyfully shout these praises,
the rocks will cry out. However, it does not say what they will cry out. To
understand what Jesus means by the rocks crying out, I believe we must
understand the backgroundto this statement.
The first hint we have to anything like this comes in the 4th chapter of the
Bible. Cain had takenthe fleeting life of righteous Abel. The Lord declares to
Cain, “Whathave you done? Listen! Your brother’s blood cries out to me
from the ground.” (Genesis 4:10Openin Logos Bible Software (if available))
What was Abel’s blood crying out? It was crying out guilt – Cain’s guilt.
This particular incident gets mentioned later. Hebrews 12:24Openin Logos
Bible Software (if available)tells us that we have come to the blood of Jesus
which speaks “a better word than the blood of Abel.” Though Abel’s blood
spoke of guilt, Jesus’ blood speaks offorgiveness!Both had fleeting lives; both
were takenin the prime of life; both were unjustly killed by a jealous older
brother (figuratively in Jesus’case).
In Joshua 24, Joshua warns the people of Israelof what the Lord requires to
serve Him, and what the consequencesare of turning away from the Lord.
They chose to serve the Lord, so Joshua set up a stone under an oak tree and
said,

139. “See!” he said to all the people. “This stone will be a witness againstus. It has
heard all the words the LORD has saidto us. It will be a witness againstyou if
you are untrue to your God.” (Jos 24:27Openin Logos Bible Software (if
available))
The stone had been present when all the warnings were issued by Joshua;the
stone heard the people’s commitment to serve the Lord. In the event that the
people failed to keepthe covenantthey couldn’t deny that they had made the
commitment for the stone was present. Therefore the stone could serve as a
witness in a court case againstthe people if they failed to keepthe covenant.
In Habakkuk 2:9-11Openin Logos Bible Software (if available)we read of the
stones of a wall crying out againstthose who had, in their presence, made and
plotted their greedyplans. Once again the stones hear and testify againstthose
who did wrong in their presence. Of course, this all seems to be a figurative
way of saying, “you will be brought to accountfor what you have done… and
will not be able to deny it. These stones willserve as witnessesagainstyou.”
When we arrive in Luke 19:40Openin Logos Bible Software (if available)I
believe it is best to read this backgroundinto the statement Jesus makes.In
other words, “If after seeing all these miracles and deeds I have done, no one
shouts out praises and honors me as the MessianicKing, your judgment is
sure and the stones [possibly the stones of the temple where Jesus did some
teaching], will cry out in judgment againstthis city!” This makes even more
sense as we read what immediately follows (Luke 19:41-44Openin Logos
Bible Software (if available)where stones are mentioned again). (See also
Luke 21:6Open in Logos Bible Software (if available).)

140. When I read Luke 19:40Openin Logos Bible Software (if available)I don’t
envision stones singing, I imagine stones witnessing the rejectionof Christ by
those who saw the miracles and deeds crying out guilt in the face of their
impending judgment. May we respond and sing the praises ofthe King! His
sprinkled blood speaks betterthings… (Hebrews 12:24Openin Logos Bible
Software (if available)). It speaks ourforgiveness rather than our guilt! And
that will produce many praises.
Love the Gospel, Live the Gospel, Advance the Gospel,
Jerry
« Previous Post| Back to Blog | Next Post»
Glenda pittman says:
November 24, 2016 at10:17 pm
Thank you. I have always read that verse thinking the stones would sing
praises not stand as witnesses.
REPLY
R c hanson says:
February 25, 2018 at 12:28 pm
Who says… God canto anything
A non believer the ears are closed.
Do you think the rocks are believable
Especiallynot to clocedears….

141. REPLY
Jerry Cisarsays:
March 14, 2018 at8:25 am
One must understand what the Bible says according to what the original
author and audience would have understood those words to mean. That is
what this article sets out to do.
REPLY
David Stevens says:
April 4, 2020 at8:58 pm
Greatread!
Don’t know if rocks cancry!
Don’t want to give them a chance!!
He is Worthy of our Praise!
REPLY
Frieda McMastersays:
August 24, 2019 at9:35 am
Check out this link to video of stones singing.
REPLY
Jerry Cisarsays:
March 14, 2018 at8:23 am

142. You are welcome. Gladto see you enjoyed it.
REPLY
Al says:
March 20, 2018 at7:45 pm
When one travels down the road from the mount of Olives you see the graves
of thousands lining the hillside. On them rocks are placedin memorial to the
deceasedperson, as flowerwilt too quickly. These graves have been there
since before Jesus walkeddown the hillside toward the EastGate. So I suggest
these were the rocks Jesusreferredto. Whenever we read about Jesus, one
needs to look up where he was at that time, as the subjects were near by. eg at
CesareaPhilipi. That is where Peterhad revelation that Jesus is the Christ-
Messiah. Jesusmentions the Gates ofHell not prevailing. The temple to Panat
that place had “The Gate of Hell” as part of the complex. This is where
children were sacrificedto godPan.
REPLY
Lavetta says:
September 16, 2018 at 2:25 pm
You are on point.
This is a more logicalway of thinking
REPLY
Jamie says:
April 5, 2019 at12:28 pm

143. So what you’re saying is that the stones on these graves representthe people
(witnesses), the people who have gone before us that testify to Jesus being the
Messiah?
I’m trying to wrap my brain around this verse and something you’re saying
here really resonates with me. I’m just trying to solidify it in my head and
heart:)
REPLY
Michaelsays:
August 29, 2019 at4:49 am
Would also love to hear the conclusionto this thought process,I like where it’s
going, but what do you mean? That the testimonies of the people who
prophesied the coming Yahshuah would be physically heard from the stones?
That their stories would be emphasized as proof againstYahshuah if He
rebuked the people for calling him the king sentin the name of Adonai as a
testimony for the Jews to not accepthim?
REPLY
Blessing says:
February 21, 2020 at 3:28 am
For religious folks without true love and forgiveness with holding an account
of wrong. Yes, a rock will be used for praising him in truth and spirit. This
particular subjectgives us clarity, eyes and ears to clearlysee CHRIST
CHARACTER. And if it ain’t there, come up out from among them.
REPLY
Matt says:

144. December9, 2018 at3:05 pm
Everything emits a frequency due to the vibration made by the energyof
atoms. Sound is vibration and is measuredin frequency.
I believe that, though there are other meanings to this verse like the one
discussedabove, we should still be aware that all creationsings God’s praises.
Psalm96:11-12Openin Logos Bible Software (if available)
11 Let the heavens rejoice, letthe earth be glad; let the sea resound, and all
that is in it. 12 Let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them; let all the
trees of the forestsing for joy.
REPLY
ARMIN E ESTEVES says:
February 22, 2019 at 11:25 pm
But nothing is impossible with God. God can make it happen!
REPLY
Greatness7says:
December13, 2019 at11:57 pm
Nice try…and don’t compare symbolism of rocks to the Bloodof
Jesus…whichspeaks betterthings.
REPLY
Peterkrauss says:
April 28, 2020 at6:37 pm

145. LLP thus jesus establishes the first sacramental.
REPLY
Brian says:
September 30, 2017 at8:30 pm
Thank you for posting this! It has helped me tremendously! Before getting
saved(Easter2014)I was a very devout Jehovah’s Witness. We were taught
basicallythat if we did not go door to door and preach that God would have
the stones do it, in which case He would have no need of us and therefore
would reject us.
Now I know the truth is that He has never needed us and never will. But He
loves us. We canchoose to acceptthat love or to rejectit. But with that choice
we have consequences. 1 John 5:12Openin Logos Bible Software (if
available).
REPLY
R c hanson says:
February 25, 2018 at 12:30 pm
God does need us
As the same parents need their children
REPLY
David Stevens says:
April 4, 2020 at9:05 pm
Not NEED as a necessity.

146. But need in never ending love.
Other-words. Needs us because he loves us.
Parents don’t need child. But loves them
Child needs parents.
REPLY
Jerry Cisarsays:
March 14, 2018 at8:24 am
Amen. You’re welcome.
REPLY
Emilie says:
June 17, 2019 at11:33 am
Whether the rocks standin judgement or they rise up and sing it makes no
matter to me. He parted the RedSea if He wants to make rocks sing His
praises so be it! But, oh how He longs for us to sing His praises. To raise our
voice and give Him the praise due to Him. To me that’s what the message is
about.
Let His word speak to your heart and you will never go wrong. Enjoyed the
article!
REPLY
Mary Murray says:
September 20, 2018 at10:55 pm

147. Amen
REPLY
Jerry Cisarsays:
September 20, 2018 at11:18 pm
Greattestimony of God’s grace. Thank you for sharing.
REPLY
Francess says:
May 2, 2018 at3:28 am
I think it is the stones of New Jerusalemthat will speak for Jesus – the
gemstones. MayHe come quickly. Amen.
REPLY
Grace Tinuade says:
July 7, 2018 at6:17 am
Thank you. There is no doubt that the Bible is whole. I do not deny the power
of GOD to make donkeys speak but in the context of Luke 19:40Openin
Logos Bible Software (if available), the stones cry out as witnessesofthe Lord
JESUS awesome deeds. Glorybe to GOD forever!
REPLY
Grace Tinuade says:
July 7, 2018 at6:47 am

148. Thank you. Indeed the stones stand as witness of the awesomedeeds of the
Lord JESUS. While GOD can do anything, he chose human, even children to
speak for him. Glory be to GOD forever!
REPLY
Frank Crumell says:
August 3, 2018 at 11:06 am
Excellentarticle! Well researchedand biblically sound. Thanks for the
thoughtful explanation of this event.
REPLY
Jerry Cisarsays:
August 3, 2018 at 11:26 am
Thank you. I am gladyou enjoyed it!
REPLY
Dorit Rosa Moody( Mrs ) says:
September 30, 2018 at4:42 am
I was asking the Brethren leader of my bible group if he would help with a
prayer group forming for prayer of repentance in the church (fellowship) in
these days of apostasyand he did not reactto my request other than to say :
“We are in the last days” and no actionon my request. He interpreted my
being prompted by the HS for the church to repent and going back to
orthodoxy as a wish for revival which is not p.o. the lastdays in which he says
we are now. I howevermeant that we like Moses stoodin the breach and pray
heartily for the sins of our brethren who sit and sayand do nothing about it.
Repentance is our responsibility reviving is the Lord’s. He did not want to

149. understand me I think. So far he stayedsilent on my request and must pray
alone. That I was saddenedis an understatement. Luke 19 came to mind of
the very stones would cry out and your comments have helped me to realize
these verses do fit to my heart’s desire in the matter after all.
REPLY
Jerry Cisarsays:
October1, 2018 at8:30 am
Considergoing to this brother again and appealing. And pray. Then keep
praying.
REPLY
Erin says:
January 16, 2019 at7:16 pm
What about stones becoming children of Abraham? “Bring forth therefore
fruits worthy of repentance, and begin not to saywithin yourselves, We have
Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, That Godis able of these stones to
raise up children unto Abraham.”
ekuL 8:3
REPLY
Glenn says:
January 26, 2019 at9:51 am
As with anything in Scripture, Jesus is speaking on severaldifferent levels
because He works at different levels are once. Right now God’s Spirit is
moving on people and things that the church has often rejectedand they are

150. more passionate aboutGod than most church goers. Bestexample is Handles
Messiahwhichthe church first rejectedas blasphemy because the composers
of the day were consideredimmoral. However, any choir that sings this
(believers or non believers) are bringing Glory to God and crying out.
REPLY
MichaelTaylor says:
November 9, 2019 at 3:15 pm
I simply marvel…
REPLY
Matt says:
March 2, 2019 at 9:17 am
“The rocks will cry out” is in my opinion, a reference to the very real potential
that the boisterous crowdcelebrating the triumphal entry might quickly turn
ugly if the authorities attempted to shut down their party. Throwing stones at
the authorities has been a common way of expressing protest within the region
for thousands of years and is still common practice today. So therefore the
phrase is best understood as a warning to the Phariseesthat the risk causing a
riot.
REPLY
David Stevens says:
April 4, 2020 at9:10 pm
That’s greatthought!!!

151. REPLY
Robert Egletonsays:
April 22, 2019 at6:24 am
If I was in the same situation as Jesus I would have said “onyour bike mate”
and as you may be aware this is figurative speechfor “it is just not going to
happen” – the people weren’t going to stop worshipping when all of creation
had been waiting for “the lamb of God, who takes awaythe sins of the world”
to come (Isa53:7Openin Logos Bible Software (if available)&11Openin
Logos Bible Software (if available)) and the expression“on your bike” doesn’t
literally mean to get on your bike or ass😂. Humbly I concede that Jesus’ way
of putting it is more gracefuland comprehensive. A little like the xJW notes
above on evangelism, I use it as a prod when entering worship sometimes, not
out of legalismthough but rather an encouragementoffaith that if stones
would literally worship Jesus then so canmy, at times, cold stony heart. I
found reading through the above comments refreshing and acknowledgethe
multi-faceted gemstone qualities of but one of Jesus’encounters with the
existing establishment and world view. So while I have breath, and knowing
what I believe on the resurrection, how can I remain silent – wish I had been
there🙌� .
REPLY
Minerva Morisseausays:
June 24, 2019 at11:57 pm
I had never fully understood the reference “…the stones will cry out” until
now because it is explained , not based on opinion but on scripture. I
appreciate the details in this article. This supports my belief that we cannot
just read scripture and store what we do not kniw in a compart in our mind
and pull it out as neededto attempt to use it. Hiw many times have we heard
preachers reference this verse with no explaination whatsoever. I now read

152. the bible with a different mindset . I have so many questions : what are the
KEYS TO THE KINGDOM Jesus gave to Peterin Mat 16.
REPLY
Ms Jeffersonsays:
January 20, 2020 at5:07 pm
I believe that everyone createdthing was createdto glorify God. (Colossians
1:16Openin Logos Bible Software (if available)) We all are made to praise
God in our own way & if we fail to do so, the rocks, trees & animals will in
their own way.
REPLY
Martin Cosentino says:
June 29, 2020 at1:28 am
Yes, spot on, it was the presence ofthe rocks (the grave markers)that gave
witness to the joy the crowdwas expressing in the presence of Jesus’entryinto
the city. The Pharisees couldnot tolerate such a public display of affection
and enthusiasm (‘beware of those who kill not just the body, but also kill the
spirit as well.”) They were also in dangerof inciting a riot to suppress the
disciples and followers ofJesus.
The above reference of the Joshua stone of witness, is an Old Testament
reference to the ‘tablets of the law’ the stones that Moses brought down from
Mt. Sinai with the Decalogue carvedonthem.

153. Habakkuk 2:11 Forthe stones will cry out from the wall, and the rafters will
echo it from the woodwork.
BIBLEHUB COMMENTARIES
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers
(11) The stone shall cry out.—Every stone in those giant walls rearedby the
enforcedlabour of captives cries aloud to accuse the Babylonian. Every spar
out of the woodwork attests the charge.
Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary
2:5-14 The prophet reads the doom of all proud and oppressive powers that
bear hard upon God's people. The lusts of the flesh, the lust of the eye, and the
pride of life, are the entangling snares ofmen; and we find him that led Israel
captive, himself led captive by eachof these. No more of what we have is to be
reckonedours, than what we come honestly by. Riches are but clay, thick
clay; what are gold and silver but white and yellow earth? Those who travel
through thick clay, are hindered and dirtied in their journey; so are those who
go through the world in the midst of abundance of wealth. And what fools are
those that burden themselves with continual care about it; with a great dealof
guilt in getting, saving, and spending it, and with a heavy accountwhich they
must give another day! They overloadthemselves with this thick clay, and so
sink themselves down into destruction and perdition. See what will be the end
hereof; what is gottenby violence from others, others shall take away by
violence. Covetousness brings disquiet and uneasiness into a family; he that is
greedy of gain troubles his own house; what is worse, it brings the curse of
God upon all the affairs of it. There is a lawful gain, which, by the blessing of
God, may be a comfort to a house; but what is got by fraud and injustice, will
bring poverty and ruin upon a family. Yet that is not the worst;Thou hast
sinned againstthine own soul, hast endangeredit. Those who wrong their

154. neighbours, do much greaterwrong to their own souls. If the sinner thinks he
has managedhis frauds and violence with art and contrivance, the riches and
possessionshe heaped togetherwill witness againsthim. There are not greater
drudges in the world than those who are slaves to mere wordly pursuits. And
what comes of it? They find themselves disappointed of it, and disappointed in
it; they will own it is worse than vanity, it is vexation of spirit. By staining and
sinking earthly glory, God manifests and magnifies his own glory, and fills the
earth with the knowledge ofit, as plentifully as waters coverthe sea, which
are deep, and spread far and wide.
Barnes'Notes on the Bible
For the stone shall cry out of the wall, and the beam out of the timber shall
answerit - All things have a voice, in that they are . God's works speak that,
for which He made them Psalm19:1 : "The heavens declare the glory of
God." Psalm65:13 : "the valleys are clad with corn, they laugh, yea, they
sing;" their very look speaks gladness. Cyril: "Forthe creationitself
proclaims the glory of the Maker, in that it is admired as well made.
Wherefore there are voices in things, although there are not words." Man's
works speak ofthat in him, out of which and for which he made them. Works
of mercy go up for a memorial before God, and plead there; greatworks,
performed amid wrong and cruelty and for man's ambition and pride, have a
voice too, and cry out to God, calling down His vengeance onthe oppressor.
Here the stones ofthe wall, whereby the building is raised, and the beam, the
tye-beam, out of the timber-work wherewithit is finished, and which, as it
were, crowns the work, join, as in a chorus, answering one another, and in a
deep solemn wailing, before God and the whole world, togetherchant "Woe,
Woe." Did not the blood and groans of men cry out to God, speechless things
have a voice to appeal to Him (See Luke 19:40). Against Belshazzarthe wall
had, to the letter, words to speak.
Eachthree verses forming one stanza, as it were, of the dirge, the following
words are probably not directly connectedwith the former, as if the woe,
which follows, were, so to speak, the chant of these inanimate witnesses
againstthe Chaldaeans;yet they stand connectedwith it. The dirge began

155. with woe on the wrongful accumulation of wealthfrom the conquered and
oppressedpeople:it continues with the selfish use of the wealth so won.
Jamieson-Fausset-BrownBible Commentary
11. stone … cry out—personification. The very stones of thy palace built by
rapine shall testify againstthee (Lu 19:40).
the beam out of the timber—the crossbeamormain rafter connecting the
timbers in the walls.
shall answerit—namely, the stone. The stone shall begin and the crossbeam
continue the cry againstthy rapine.
Matthew Poole's Commentary
For the stone, the strength of thy house, accuseththee.
Shall cry out; as if it had a voice, it crieth to God for vengeance.
The beam, on which thy chambers are laid,
shall answerit; confirms the charge againstthee;and that fabric cannot be
long a safe or a beautiful habitation, whose stones andbeams are shakenwith
the strong cries of innocent blood, and families ruined by the oppressionof the
builder.
Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

156. For the stone shall cry out of the wall,.... Of their own house; some from
among themselves, that truly fearedGod, seeing the evil practices done among
them, and abhorring them, such as their covetousness, ambition, murders,
excommunications, and anathemas, should cry out againstthem in their
sermons and writings; such as were lively stones, eminent for religion and
godliness, as Bernard, Wickliff, Huss, and others:
and the beam out of the timber shall answerit; such as were of eminent note
in things civil, as beams and rafters in the house; emperors and governors of
provinces, who observedthe complaints of godly ministers and people,
answeredto them, and checkedthe evil bishops and clergy, and hindered
them in the pursuit of their schemes, andso brought them to shame and
confusion. Aben Ezra observes, that the word signifies the hard place in the
wood;or the harder part of it, the knotty part, or the knot in it; and which is
confirmed by the use of the word in the Arabic language, as Hottinger(g)
observes;and so may have respectto such persons as were raised up at the
beginning of the Reformation, who were of rough dispositions, and hardy
spirits, fit to go through the work they were calledto; such as Luther, and
others, who answeredand were correspondentto the doctrines of those before
mentioned, who preceded them: for not a beetle, as the Septuagint version,
which breeds, and lives not in wood, and so represents heretics, as Jerom;
much better, as some other Greek versions, a "worm";though rather the
word may signify a brick, as it is used by the Talmudists (h) for one of a span
and a half, which answers wellenoughto a stone in the former clause;nor is it
unusual with heathen writers (i) to represent stones and timbers speaking,
when any criminal silence is kept; see Luke 19:40.
(g) Smegma Orientale, l. 1. c. 7. p. 163. (h) T. Bava Metzia, fol. 117. 2. &
Bathra, fol. 3. 1. (i) "----Secretum divitis ullum Esse putas? serviut taceant,
jumenta loquentur, Et canis, et postes, etmarmora.----" Juvenal. Satyr. 9.
Geneva Study Bible

157. For the {i} stone shall cry out of the wall, and the beam out of the timber shall
answerit.
(i) The stones of the house will cry, and say that they are built from blood, and
the woodwill answerand say the same of itself.
EXEGETICAL(ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)
Cambridge Bible for Schools andColleges
11. stone shall cry out of the wall] For the stone out of the wall shall cry out.
The Chaldeangains evil gains to build his nest on high; the materials he uses,
the stones and wood, shall cry out againstthe wrong and oppression
perpetrated in procuring them. This sense is preferable to that assumedby
Hitzig, that in his constructions the Chaldeankept back the hire of the
labourers (Jeremiah 22:13).
beam … answerit] i.e. reecho its cry of injustice.
Pulpit Commentary
Verse 11. - Even inanimate things shall raise their voice to denounce the
Chaldeans'wickedness. The stone shall cry out of the wall. A proverbial
expressionto denote the horror with which their cruelty and oppressionwere
regarded;it is particularly appropriate here, as these crimes had been
perpetrated in connectionwith the buildings in which they prided them.
selves, and which were raised by the enforcedlabour of miserable captives
and adorned with the fruits of fraud and pillage. Compare another
application of the expressionin Luke 19:40. Jerome quotes Cicero, 'Orat. pro
Marcello,' 10, "Parietes,medius fidius, ut mihi videntur, hujus curiae tibi
gratias agere gestiunt, quod brevi tempore futura sit ilia auctoritas in his
majorum suorum et suis sedibus" (comp. Eurip., 'Hippol.,' 418, Τέρεμνά τ
οἴκωνμή ποτε φθογγὴνἀφῇ:Ovid, 'Metam.,'2:696, "Tutus eas:lapis iste
prius tua furta loquetur"). Wordsworth sees a literal fulfilment of these words
in the appalling circumstance at Belshazzar's feast, whena hand wrote on the

158. palace wallthe doom of Babylon (Daniel5.). And the beam out of the timber
shall answerit. "The tie beam out of the timber work shall" take up the
refrain, and "answer" the stone from the wall. The Hebrew word (Kaphis)
rendered "beam" is an ἄπαξ λεγόμενον. It is explained as above by St.
Jerome, being referred to a verb meaning "to bind." Thus Symmachus and
Theodotiontranslate it by σύνδεσμος. Henderson and others think it means
"a half brick," and Aquila renders it by μᾶζα, "something baked." But we
have no evidence that the Babylonians in their sumptuous edifices interlaced
timber and half bricks (see Pusey, p. 419, note 23). The LXX. gives, κάνθαρος
ἐκ ξύλου, a beetle, a worm, from the wood. Hence, referring to Christ on the
cross, St. Ambrose ('Orat. de Obit. Theod.,'46) writes, "Adoravit ilium qui
pependit in ligno, illum inquam qui sicut scarabaeusclamavit, ut
persecutoribus suis peccata condonaret." St. Cyril argues that tie beams were
calledκάνθαροι from their clinging to and supporting wall or roof. Some
reasonfor this supposition is gained by the factthat the word canterius, or
cantherius, is used in Latin in the sense of"rafter."
Keil and DelitzschBiblical Commentary on the Old Testament
First strophe. - Micah 3:1. "And I said, Hear ye, O heads of Jacob, and
princes of the house of Israel: Is it not for you to know the right? Micah 3:2.
Ye who hate good, and love evil; who draw off their skin from them, and their
flesh from their bones. Micah 3:3. And who have eatenthe flesh of my people,
and stripped off their skin from them; and broken their bones, and cut them
in pieces, as if in the pot, and like flesh in the midst of the caldron. Micah3:4.
Then will they cry to Jehovah, and He will not hearken;and let Him hide His
face from them at the same time, as they have made their actions evil." By the
expression"And I said" (vâ'ōmar), the following address is indicated as a
continuation of the preceding one. The reproofs of this chapter are also a still
further expansionof the woe pronounced in Micah 2:1-2 upon the godless
chiefs of the nation. The heads of Jacobare addressed, that is to say, the
princes of the tribes and families of Israel, and the qetsı̄nı̄m, lit., deciders
(answering to the Arabic qâḍy, a judge) of the house of Israel, i.e., the heads of
families and households, upon whom the administration of justice devolved
(cf. Isaiah 1:10; Isaiah22:3). ‫ולה‬ ‫,ןול‬ is it not your duty and your office to
know justice? Da‛ath is practicalknowledge, whichmanifests itself in

159. practice;mishpât, the public administration of justice. Instead of this, they do
the opposite. The description of this conduct is appended by participles, in the
form of apposition to the heads and princes addressedin Micah 3:1. Hating
goodand loving evil refer to the disposition, and indicate the radical
corruption of these men. ‫,ןער‬ generallymisfortune, here evil; hence the
Masoreteshave alteredit into ‫;ער‬ but the very fact that it deviates from the
ordinary rule shows that it is the original word. Instead of administering
justice to the people, they take off their skin, and tear the flesh from the
bones. The suffixes attachedto ‫עלרע‬ and ‫רע‬ ‫ם‬ point back to ‫ו‬ ‫לירׂשי־ר‬ in
Micah3:1. The words answerto the German expression, "to pull the skin over
the ears." In Micah3:3 the expressionis still stronger;but the address is
continued in the form of a simple description, and insteadof the participles,
‫םר‬ is used with the finite verb. They not only flay the people, i.e., rob them of
all their means of subsistence, but even devour them - treat them like cattle,
which men first of all flay, then break their bones, but the flesh into pieces,
and boil it in the pot. In this figure, which is carried out into the most minute
details, we must not give any specialmeaning to the particular features, such
as that "the skin, and boiling portions, which are cut up and put into the pot,
are figures signifying the pledged clothing and covetedfields (Micah 2:2,
Micah2:8)." The prophet paints in very glaring colours, to make an
impression upon the ungodly. Therefore, in the time of judgment, Godwill not
hear their crying to Him for help, but will hide His face from them, i.e.,
withdraw His mercy from them. ‫א‬ and ‫ןןי‬ ‫לען‬ point back to the evil time
announced in Micah 2:3. For Micah3:4, compare Proverbs 1:28. Veyastērin
Micah3:4 is an optative. The prophet continues the announcement of the
punishment in the form of a desire. ‫םר‬ ‫,ר‬ as equals according to the way in
which, as in 1 Samuel28:18; Numbers 27:14, etc., i.e., answering to their evil
doings.

160. Thursday, July 5, 2012
Will the Stones Really Cry Out?
Reading:Luke 19:28–48
The scene is the “Triumphal Entry”. Jesus is on a donkey coltentering
Jerusalemas people spread their cloaks onthe road in front of him. The
people joyfullly shout praises to God and say, “Blessedis the king who comes
in the name of the Lord!” (Luke 19:37-38)This declarationof Jesus as the
king of Israel, the sonof David, the One who comes in the name of the Lord,
provokeda rebuke from the Pharisees.
39Some ofthe Phariseesin the crowdsaid to Jesus, “Teacher, rebuke your
disciples!” 40“Itell you,” he replied, “if they keepquiet, the stones will cry
out.”
This statementby Jesus is the subjectof some choruses and has brought about
many statements about how we might see rocks singing the praises of Jesus if
we don't! Maybe... but, maybe not. Allow me to suggestthatJesus wasn't
saying that the stones will sing praises if the disciples stop singing them. In
fact, the text doesn'tsay that at all. And you don't have to know Greek to see
it; I'm talking about what your English translations say (just like the Greek).
It doesn't say the stones will sing praises if the disciples don't.
What does it say? It says that the that if the disciples don't joyfully shout these
praises, the rocks will cry out. However, it does not say what they will cry out.
To understand what Jesus means by the rocks crying out, I believe we must
understand the backgroundto this statement.
The first hint we have to anything like this comes afterthe first murder. Cain
has takenthe fleeting life of righteous Abel. The Lord declares to Cain, “What
have you done? Listen! Your brother's blood cries out to me from the
ground.” (Genesis 4:10)What was Abel's blood crying out? It was crying out
guilt – Cain's guilt.

161. This particular incident gets mentioned later. Hebrews 12:24 tells us that we
have come to the blood of Jesus which speaks “a betterword than the blood of
Abel.” Though Abel's blood spoke ofguilt, Jesus'blood speaks offorgiveness!
Both had fleeting lives; both were takenin the prime of life; both were
unjustly killed by a jealous older brother (figuratively in Jesus'case).
In Joshua 24, Joshua warns the people of Israelwhat the requirements of
serving the Lord are and what the consequencesofturning awayfrom the
Lord are. They chooseto serve the Lord so Joshua set up a stone under an oak
tree and said,
“See!” he said to all the people. “This stone will be a witness againstus. It has
heard all the words the LORD has saidto us. It will be a witness againstyou if
you are untrue to your God.” (Jos 24:27)
The stone had been present when all the warnings were issued by Joshua;the
stone heard the people's commitment to serve the Lord. In the event that the
people failed to keepthe covenantthey couldn't deny that they had made the
commitment for the stone was present. Therefore the stone could serve as a
witness in a court case against the people if they failed to keepthe covenant.
In Habakkuk 2:9-11 we read of stones of a wall crying out againstthose who
had in their presence made and plotted their greedy plans. Here againthe
stones hearand then testify againstthose who did wrong in their presence. Of
course, this all seems to be a figurative way of saying, “you will be brought to
accountfor what you have done... and will not be able to deny it. These stones
will serve as witnesses againstyou.”
When we arrive in Luke 19:40 I believe it is best to read this background into
the statementJesus makes. In other words, if after seeing all these miracles
and deeds I have done no one shouts out praises and honors me as the
Messianic King, your judgment is sure and the stones (possibly the stones of
the temple where Jesus did some teaching), will cry out in judgment against
this city! This makes evenmore sense as we read what immediately follows
(Luke 19:41-44 where stones are mentioned again). (See also Luke 21:6.)

162. When I read Luke 19:40 I don't envision stones singing, I imagine stones
witnessing the rejectionof Christ by those who saw the miracles and deeds
crying out guilt in the face of their impending judgment. May we respond and
sing the praises of the King! His sprinkled blood speaks betterthings...
(Hebrews 12:24).
Love the Gospel, Live the Gospel, Advance the Gospel,
Jerry
http://www.bible-reading-devotions.com/2012/07/will-stones-really-cry-
out.html
The Stones Will Cry Out
A
Scripture Reading — Luke 19:28-44
“I tell you,” he replied, “if they keepquiet, the stones will cry out.” — Luke
19:40
This month we have been discovering that there are many ways the Bible uses
word pictures about rocks and stones. Rocksare symbolic of God’s character
and of our character. In our reading from Luke today, Jesus talks about
stones that will cry out. But it’s worth asking, “Whichstones—andwhatare
they saying?”
If we read this passage carefully, we’ll see that Jesus was riding a colt on a
road coming down the Mount of Olives. It’s possible that Jesus pointed to

163. stones along the road while he was talking, emphasizing how all of creation
points to his power and authority. If the religious leaders would not let Jesus’
followers praise him, then even the creationitself would cry out. And in its
own way, it already does!(See Psalm 19.)
Jesus may also be referring to the stones of the walls of Jerusalem. Foras he
approaches the city, he weeps over it and predicts that enemies will tear its
walls down. This may be an echo of Habakkuk 2:11-12, which says, “The
stones of the wall will cry out. . . . Woe to him who builds a city with
bloodshed and establishes a town by injustice.”
Jesus defended people who were powerless andoppressed, and he was
declaring that one day his authority will be made knownand the structures of
oppressive societieswillcome crashing down. Then all of creationwill join
togetherto proclaim Jesus as Lord of all.
Prayer
Lord and Savior, all -powerand authority belong to you. Bring down evil, and
let justice prevail. We praise your name. Amen.
https://today.reframemedia.com/devotions/the-stones-will-cry-out
2
What does it mean that the stones will cry out if others keepsilent?
Will stones really cry out?

164. Luke 19:40
NKJV - 40 But He answeredand said to them, "I tell you that if these should
keepsilent, the stones would immediately cry out.
Clarify • Share • Report • Asked October04 2015 • Mini Loretta P Reed
Answers (4)
Discuss (1)
Community answers are sortedbased on votes. The higher the vote, the
further up an answeris.
5
★
Image41 EzekielKimosop
What does it mean that stones would cry out if others keepsilent?
The context of this statementby Jesus lies along the passageofLuke 19:28-40
where Jesus was making His triumphant entry into Jerusalem.
Howeverthe most specific passageoffocus can be narroweddown to
Luke 19:37-40 which says (KJV):

165. "And when he was come nigh, even now at the descentof the mount of Olives,
the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a
loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen;38 Saying, Blessedbe
the King that comethin the name of the Lord: peace in heaven, and glory in
the highest. 39 And some of the Pharisees from among the multitude said unto
him, Master, rebuke thy disciples. 40 And he answeredand said unto them, I
tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately
cry out."
The statementin Luke 19:40 is simply a metaphoric expressionregarding the
fact that there was undeniable prove that the Messianic powerofChrist had
been revealed. The miracles works was clearprove to all exceptthe Pharisees
who refused to acknowledge Jesus. Theywere busy holding onto religious
etiquette when the crowds burst into song and dance. They lived in the past,
always.
We canprove from Scripture that the Pharisees lovedattention and public
glare.Theywere usedto being praised and called Rabbi or master, titles about
which Jesus warnedhis disciples saying in Matthew 23:5-10 "But all their
works they do for to be seenof men: they make broad their phylacteries, and
enlarge the borders of their garments, 6 And love the uppermost rooms at
feasts, and the chief seats in the synagogues, 7 And greetings in the markets,
and to be called of men, Rabbi, Rabbi. 8 But be not ye calledRabbi: for one is
your Master, evenChrist; and all ye are brethren. 9 And call no man your
father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven. 10 Neither
be ye calledmasters:for one is your Master, even Christ."
People with a Pharisaic spirit do not see the working of God at all. They do
not operate under the Spirit of God but by the dictates and the rules of men.

166. The statementby Jesus was a actually a sharp rebuke on this brand of
religious zealotry who were sticklers to men's rules but "having not the
Spirit" (Jude 1:19).
They were totally opposedto all that was divine; insensitive and arrogant
rulers of synagoguesin Jesus's dayyet despite their mastery of the religious
law could not discernwhen the Messianic coming of Jesus ofwhom the same
Scriptures spoke.
So what was the verdict? Their plea to Jesus fell flat! Jesus flatly refused to
silence His disciples and told off the Pharisees fortheir empty religious piety
which could not even lead them to discover the God they purported to serve.
This is perfectly what legalismdoes. It blinds people from discovering divine
truth. Many man-made rules have eclipsedthe practice of the truth faith in
many church communities so that congregationsare more conversantwith the
rules and customs than with what Scripture actually teaches.
What happens when we are confrontedby people beholden to religious
legalism? We should not waste our energies arguing with them but rather
move on to worship our Godin truth and in spirit (John 4:23). That is
perfectly what Jesus permitted the disciples to do in total defiance of the
irrelevancies of the high command of the religious order. Religion is the
enemy of true faith.
October05 2015 • 0 responses• Vote Up • Share • Report
4
★

167. Data Lena Wms Student @Christ GospelChurch, S.S.Teacher, Observer
I believe PastorKimosapand Brother Maas made very good points to this
question. However, I think we should look at this from a different perspective.
Jesus, the Creatorof All things (John 1:3), was making His final Triumphant
entry into Jerusalembefore He was to give His life for sinful mankind.
The Bible states that all creationgroans (Rom 8:22) because of the sinful state
of man. Deductive reasoning would allow us to see that the earth could see
their Creatorgoing into Jerusalemwith the city filled with praises and
worship. What a beautiful sight this must have been! Finally, man was doing
what God createdhim to do, Worship his Creator!The branches of the trees
were laid in front of the two donkeys, the songs ofHosanna were ringing in
the air and in the midst of the throng of the people, a few Pharisees who
wanted it all to stop.
Yes, the rocks would have cried out! Man refusing to give Jesus, the Creator,
His justly due praise and adorationwill make the creationshake, tremble,
roar, cry, clap, and WORSHIP GOD in our place! (Ps 46:3, Ps 114:7, Jer 4:24,
Ps 98:18, Isa 55:12)
Jesus was making the observation: If He was not praised by one portion of His
creation, the other portion of His creationwould pick up the slack andpraise
Him even more. With this in mind, it does make one wonderabout the world
we live in today. Almost 7,4 billion people live on this planet. Comparatively, a
very small number practice true heartfelt worship of their Creatoron a daily
basis. Is it any wonder the mountains, hills, the rocks and the trees continue to
shake, rattle and roll? They are picking up man's slack!
Do you want a rock to praise and worship for you?

168. Something to think about!
Be Blessed,
Lena
January 29 2016 • 3 responses• Vote Up • Share • Report
1
★
Mini Tim Maas RetiredQuality Assurance Specialistwith the U.S. Army
Jesus oftenemployed hyperbole, or what one Biblical commentatorhas called
"gigantesque"imagery, in His teaching to illustrate the points that He was
making more forcefully and memorably. For example, in Matthew 23:24,
when He condemned the Pharisees forhypocritically insisting on compliance
with the smallestdetails of the Law (such as the tithing of various spices),
while disregarding the major principles of the Law (such as justice, mercy,
and faithfulness) in their conduct, he accusedthem of straining out a gnat, but
swallowing a camel. It would have been clearto anyone listening that Jesus
was not speaking literally, but using an exaggeratedmetaphorto illustrate an
underlying truth.
He did the same thing in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 7:3-5) when He
spoke of people hypocritically trying to remove a speck from their neighbor's
eye (that is, correcting another's small fault), while not noticing the log that
was in their own eye (that is, the much greaterfault of which they themselves
were guilty).

169. When Jesus made his triumphal entry into Jerusalemin Luke 19:37-40, He
was being loudly acclaimedby the people as God's promised Messiah(which
He, of course, was, but which the religious authorities refusedto recognize).
When those same authorities demanded that Jesus tell His followers to be
silent, Jesus memorably criticized the authorities' willful blindness by once
againemploying the same type of imagery, and telling them that, if those who
were acclaiming Him were to be silent, the very stones would then cry out in
witness to His identity as the Messiah. He was thus making the point that, by
refusing to acknowledgeHim, the religious authorities were even more
spiritually blind and dead than inanimate objects.
October05 2015 • 0 responses• Vote Up • Share • Report
0
★
Mini Billy P Eldred
I believe that most likely, Jesus was metaphoricallyspeaking. I also believe it
was possible that he was speaking literally as He had the powerto make it so.
My reasonfor adding an answeris to add one more possibility.
I believe that nature is one of the strongestcasesfor evidence of creation.
From the patterns in flowers, sand washedby waves, the beauty abounding in
nature, the relationship betweena bee and a flower, etc..., to mathematical
formulas found in things like a whirlpool, nature cries out today the existence
of God and Christ.
BecauseHe is God, who, knows:maybe many answers apply. Because He is
God and He can!

170. The Stones Will Cry Out Series
Contributed by Andrew Chan on Mar 22, 2002
based on 54 ratings (rate this sermon) | 16,063 views
Scripture: Luke 19:28-40
Denomination: EvangelicalFree
Summary: EasterReflectionseries:How Palm Sunday informs us of our
response to God and to the world
1 2 3 … 6 7
Next
The Stones Will Cry Out
EasterReflectionseries
Lk. 19:28-40
Downloadthe slides for this sermon
Full name

171. Church name
Your email address
Get the slides
Downloadthe presentationslides. Plus, you'll get preaching ideas & ministry
offers from SermonCentral. Privacy
What a celebration!Crowds were excited! Jesus was thrilled to see the
response ofworship. But some party-poopers were there (v.39). I love Jesus¡¦
response, don¡¦t u just love it. Let them celebrate, don¡¦t¡¦ shush them. If they
keepquiet the stones will cry out... Oh God wants us to celebrate!Partying in
His presence!He loves the praises in loud voices¡K He enjoys the gladness of
the people!That¡¦s Palm Sunday.
Grand Entrance (source: www.Christianitytoday.com)
Palm Sunday celebrates the day Jesus made his triumphal entry into
Jerusalem. But let¡¦s test how much we really know of that day¡¦s events,
recordedin all four Gospels, withthese true or false statements.
1. According to the Gospels, the people wavedpalm branches when Jesus rode
into Jerusalemon Palm Sunday.
False (Matt. 21:6, Mark 11:8, Luke 19:36, John 12:13). None of the four
Gospels saythe people "waved" branches but that they spreadgarments and
branches in Jesus¡¦path. Only John 12 passage mentions palm branches,
apparently, a tree not native to Jerusalem. In our Luke passage, it mentions
only the spreading of cloaks. Palmbranches usage signifies ¡§victory.¡¨ But I
guess, there must be some waving too as cloaks and branches are pretty big,
and when you spreadit around, it¡¦s gonna wave a bit, don¡¦t u think?

172. 2. The date of Jesus¡¦triumphal entry¡Xfive days before Passover¡Xwas a
specialholiday in his time.
True. It wasn¡¦t calledPalm Sunday in Jesus¡¦ day, but eachIsraelite family
chose the lamb they would sacrifice for Passoveronthe tenth day of the
month. As the people shouted "Hosanna," theydidn¡¦t realize they were
choosing the Lamb of God as their sacrifice.
3. By their actions, the people were publicly proclaiming Jesus as the Messiah.
True. When Solomonwas anointed king, he rode into the city on a mule, to
the shouts and praises of the people (1 Kings 1:43-45). Zechariahprophesied
the Messiahwouldarrive the same way "gentle and riding on a donkey"
(Zech. 9:9).
4. The fact that Jesus rode a donkey portrayed him as a warrior king.
Create BiblicalSermons FasterAd
False. Conquering kings would ride war horses;the donkeysymbolized peace
and humility (Zech. 9:9, 10). Jesus¡¦ entry was a stark contrastto the war-like
Romans, whose military presence was very visible. We rather have this
imagery ¡K.The stallion stoodon its hind legs, neighedloudly, and pawed the
air with its front legs. When it stoodas tall as it could stand, Jesus leaned
forward in the saddle. Holding the reins with one hand while lifting his white
hat in the air with the other, He shouted with a loud voice, "hi ho silver away"
As Jesus road off into the sunset, you could hear the William Tell Overture in
the background. Du du dunt¡K

173. 5. The shouts of "Hosanna!" meant "Praise the Lord!"
False. The Hebrew word Halleluia means "praise the Lord;" Hosanna means
"save us!" or "save!" The Palm Sunday crowd falselyassumedthat Jesus
would bring political liberation.
6. The route Jesus chosefor his triumphal entry was down the side of Mount
Zion.
False. Jesusrode down the Mount of Olives offering him an excellentview of
Jerusalem, which is built on Mount Zion. According to Zechariah 14:4, Jesus
will againstand on the Mount of Olives at his secondcoming.
7. When the people spread branches and garments in Jesus¡¦path it was to
pay him honor.
True. The people were boldly declaring that Jesus was their king, an
accusationeventuallywritten in condemnation above his cross. It was
common in Bible times to spread garments in the path of princes and kings,
especiallyat their coronation(see 2 Kings 9:13).
8. The shouts of "Blessedis he who comes in the name of the Lord" were
words of a Jewishhymn.
True. The phrases "Hosanna" and"Blessedis he who comes in the name of
the Lord" both come from Psalm 118:25-26, one ofthe "Hallel" or praise

174. psalms (113-118)usedevery Passover. These Jewishhymns would be as
familiar to the Jewishpeople as Christmas carols are to Christians.
A. Are we clueless?
Thank God qualifications for heavenis not basedon getting a score of 100%
on a quiz about what you know about Palm Sunday. Thank God that there is
no one in heaven such as that scarylady on current TV quiz show, saying to
you and me ¡§Andrew, you¡¦re the weakestlink, goodbye!¡¨
Today we celebrate PalmSunday, because we remember that Jesus chose this
road to Jerusalemeven though it meant death. Yes though this road meant
death, it was the start of what would become everlasting life for us. If He did
not walk geton that donkey and fulfil the OT prediction we would all be
turfed out, for we are all the weakestlink in every shape and form. Look at
humanity¡¦s record it is not pretty. Ever since history is recorded there is no
peace, somewhereonearth there is evidence violence, warand death. Even
sitting and watching an NHL game, if you are not careful, you can killed as we
heard last week in the news, in game betweenthe Col. Blue Jacketsand the
Cal. Flames. As you examine his entry into Jerusalemin Lk.18:31-34, youwill
find Jesus is thinking about the events that will lead to awful death on the
cross. However, Jesus¡¦disciples were clueless (18:34).
And I wonder if today, if any of us here are clueless¡KThe crowdthat spread
their cloaks andcut branches were on that when Jesus rode in on that
donkey! They would not have celebratedif they knew that their Messiah
would be killed very soon. Yes, As the people shouted "Hosanna," or¡§save
us¡¨ they didn¡¦t realise they were choosing Jesusas the Lamb of God, as their
sacrifice for the Passover. Theydid not know that Jesus would be killed so
that their sins could be forgiven. Yes they would be saved, but savedfrom

175. their penalty of sin not from political powers. All they wanted was instant
gratification, oh, they wanted a political Messiah. Theywant to rid themselves
of the hated Roman Empire and the vicious iron-grip rule of the offensive
merciless Jew hating Gentile Pontius Pilate away.
Are we just as clueless¡K to what God is doing here with us? So we go for
instant gratification. Drowning in our current misery, we are oblivious to
what God is accomplishing thru out history. Are we too missing out on what
God really wants to do for us? Just as Jesus¡¦disciples missed out and were
out of tune with their Master, are we missing out on the factthat God wants
more than anything else to work out the ultimate saving event while they were
boggeddown with the Romans. Justas we are today, we are boggeddown
with what the Government of BC or Canada or the US is doing. Boggeddown
by our worries if the US will crush BC¡¦s economy because ofthe softwood
quarrel. Boggeddown by so pollution, suicide bombers, ¡K Do we not live in a
world where there are problems galore here right now?
Just as the Romanempire declined and their glory became a blip in history, so
shall our concerns forthe day in comparisonto the on-going story of eternity
that the eternal God is weaving for us. With all our current problems, or eyes
seldom have the perspective of the eternal. Our eyes are fixed on terra firma
here. And it sure feels like we are the weakestlink, just waiting to be snuffed
out by a carelessdriver who believes he is a MichaelSchumacher, or by
disease ora terrorist plot or by a hockeypuck ¡KWe visualise a world that
will be safe but the realism of history teaches us, that there is no safe place.
There are folks who are building panic rooms with the latesthigh tech
computers and camera surveillance equipment in their houses just in case bad
guys or home-invaders come. There are folks who would buy old army
bunkers to prepare for the end of the world. There are folks who pin their
hopes that a political system called¡§democracy¡¨ will save them¡K There are
folks who are doing big-time business manoeuvres as if the whole world is
hanging on it and then the Enron scandalshatter their confidence¡K We feel

176. totally victimised, helpless, looking for a Messiah, so we cry like the crowdin
Jerusalem¡§save us¡¨.
Thank God, Palm Sunday reminds us we are not just the weakestlink in
history of this world. Somehow through the events triggeredby Palm Sunday
leading to GoodFriday and then to the Resurrectionvictory of Sunday, we
are soonto be restoredto become the sons and daughters of God co-heirs and
co-rulers of the earth with the Lord Jesus, as we were meant to be, as we were
createdto be. We were creatednot to be insignificant pawns of history,
manipulated to prop out a government with our taxes, but be significant
world changers.
Palm Sunday reminds us there is victory, that there is a celebration, a party
that will be thrown by God for all who gets it. That God has not forgottenus.
He remembers that our deepestproblem and deepestneedis to getrid of the
root of our problems. He is not content with just treating the symptoms, he is
going all out to get rid of the cancer. And the cancer, that fatal disease of
humanity is sin. That is why when Jesus setout to ride that donkey he is
authoring for us, that God has heard the cry to save us. Even if that means
suffering the humiliation of what seemedlike defeatand the pain of death on
the cross, crying out ¡§My God, My God, why have you forsakenme¡¨.
Imagine the God who could snuff out the universe, with a word, going all the
way to be born of woman, living some 30 years on earth, patiently enduring
the misunderstanding of his own family members, the mistreatment from the
religious folks who should have know better of His coming as prophesied in
their Bible. Who should have knownthat Jesus would be here to be the
Suffering Servant, seeking the lost, wooing people to God¡¦s love, to His
kingdom, not with force but by the power of His deep concernand love.
For but there will be victory. Palm Sunday is about one of the events that
eventually led to the GoodFriday event, where Christ died for all sinners, so

177. that all who believe in Christ¡¦s substitutionary death are forgiven, freed from
the clutches of death and sin and ushered into to eternal life through the
resurrectionvictory of Jesus.
Yes there would be a victory. But it is victory not shared by all who spread
their cloaks andbranches that day. For a few days later they who praised and
worshipped the ground on which Jesus rode on would shout crucify him. They
should have knownthe moment Jesus usedthe donkeyand not a stallion, that
he would save them not from their momentray problems but from the
problem of sin that is the root of their problems, the cause of wars, violence,
broken families, everything that¡¦s filthy and broken in this world. They
desired a political Messiahbut what Godwill give them is a Messiahwho
loved them enough to go for a more permanent solution, even if it meant
suffering.
Lest we be too critical of Jerusalem, ask yourselfthis question: What city even
today would not be shakenby Jesus¡¦entry into it? Imagine Jesus entering
New York, London, Tel Aviv, Washington, or even Vancouver. Oh, I¡¦m sure
we¡¦d welcome him with our hosannas - at first, anyway. We¡¦d line the streets
and strike up the band and have a grand parade right down Main Street. But
I¡¦m equally sure that, by the end of the week, we¡¦d have him nailed to a
cross,too. Why? Becausethe Kingdom Jesus came to establishstill threatens
the kingdoms of this world -- your kingdom and mine -- the kingdoms where
greed, power, and lust rule instead of grace, mercy, and peace. And who
among us really gets that?
Strong sermons during fear & uncertainty
Full name
Your email address
Try PRO Free

178. Enter your name and email to begin. Credit card required, cancelany time.
Plus, getemail updates & offers from SermonCentral. Privacy
B. The Colt
I am sure the owners of the young donkey coltdid not really getit all. They
probably did not understand the world changing implications of that ride on
the donkeythat would lead to salvationof the world. But they gave up a
valuable mode of transportationand means of making a living because the
Lord needs it. People today often speak of donkeys in belittling terms. You
may have heard the expression, "I¡¦m just someone who has to do all the
donkey work." Or"So-and-so is as stubborn as a mule" (a mule is part
donkey).
These sayings overlook the contributions of a truly valuable animal. Donkeys
have served the human race for thousands of years. They were once prized as
symbols of humility, gentleness, andpeace. So for the owners of the donkey, it
was a sacrifice to give up the animal. It¡¦s like us giving up a not only our
wheels but a source of income.
Apparently, in Bible days, donkeys that had never been ridden were regarded
as
especiallysuitable for religious purposes. So it was most fitting that
Jesus sentfor a coltto perform the royal task of carrying Him into
Strong sermons during fear & uncertainty

179. Full name
Your email address
Try PRO Free
Enter your name and email to begin. Credit card required, cancelany time.
Plus, getemail updates & offers from SermonCentral. Privacy
Jerusalem. As we reflect this Easterseason, whatare we giving up so that
others could celebrate the coming of God¡¦s kingdom? The Lord would love it
if you and I would think of others today, so that they could get into the
kingdom¡K
Bill Wilsonpastors an inner city church in New York City. His mission field is
a very violent place. He himself has been stabbed twice as he ministered to the
people of the community surrounding the church. Once a Puerto Rican
woman became involved in the church and was led to Christ. After her
conversionshe came to PastorWilsonand said, "I want to do something to
help with the church¡¦s ministry." He askedher what her talents were and she
could think of nothing---she couldn¡¦t even speak English---but she did love
children. So he put her on one of the church¡¦s buses that went into
neighborhoods and transported kids to church. Every week she performed
her duties. She would find the worst-looking kid on the bus, put him on her
lap and whisper over and over the only words she had learned in English: "I
love you. Jesus loves you."
After severalmonths, she became attachedto one little boy in particular. The
boy didn¡¦t speak. He came to Sunday Schoolevery week with his sister and
saton the woman¡¦s lap, but he never made a sound. Eachweek she would tell
him all the way to Sunday Schooland all the way home, "I love you and Jesus
loves you."

180. One day, to her amazement, the little boy turned around and stammered,
"I---I---I love you too!" Then he put his arms around her and gave her a big
hug. That was 2:30 on a Sunday afternoon. At 6:30 that night he was found
dead. His own mother had beatenhim to death and thrown his body in the
trash......."Ilove you and Jesus loves you." ....Thosewere some ofthe last
words this little boy heard in his short life---from the lips of a Puerto Rican
woman who could barely speak English. This woman gave her one talent to
God and because ofthat a little boy who never heard the word "love" in his
own home, experiencedand respondedto the love of Christ.....
What can you give from yourself? What is your "colt". You and I eachhave
something in our lives, which, if given back to God, could, like the colt, move
Jesus and His messagefurther down the road.
A missionary in China calls herself"the Lord¡¦s donkey." She¡¦s a humble
believer, "carrying" her Lord faithfully into town after town and training
others to do likewise. The Lord has need of many such "colts" in today¡¦s
world, humble people who will carry Him into their Jerusalemand make Him
known.
But the donkey had to be untied before Jesus could use it. We too must be
releasedfrom worldly attachments if we are to serve Christ. What has gotu
tied up? That you can fully trust the Lord? That u can fully give yourself to be
a humble servant of God? Are we willing to be the Lord¡¦s colt?

181. A 19th century Sunday Schoolteachernamed Kimball led a shoe clerk named
Moody to Jesus Christ. Dwight L. Moody became a famous evangelistwho
influenced Frederick B. Meyerto preachon college campuses. MeyerledJ.
Wilbur Chapman to the Lord. Chapman while working with the YMCA
arrangedfor Billy Sunday to come to Charlotte, North Carolina to attend
revival meetings. Community leaders in Charlotte scheduled anotherrevival
with MordecaiHamm. Under Hamm¡¦s preaching Billy Graham gave his
heart to Jesus Christ. Billy Graham has preachedto more people than any
man in history. I am sure this Sunday Schoolteacherin Bostonhad no idea
what would happen from leading a shoe clerk to Christ.
As we examine this passageofScripture, let me encourage youto look at the
Strong sermons during fear & uncertainty
Full name
Your email address
Try PRO Free
Enter your name and email to begin. Credit card required, cancelany time.
Plus, getemail updates & offers from SermonCentral. Privacy
ownerof the donkey and his response to the king who entered into Jerusalem
that day.
What is God calling you to do for Him today? Are there ties to this world and
its concerns that you need to untie? What is God asking you in your heart to
do?
C. The Crowd

182. The crowd¡¦s response was great¡K Jesus said¡§I like that¡¨
Let me remind you of 1 Peter2:5, 9 ¡§You also, as living stones, are being
built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices
acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. But you are a chosengeneration, a
royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own specialpeople, that you may proclaim
the praises ofHim who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.¡¨
Ps 150:6 ¡§Let everything that has breath praise the LORD.¡¨
Worship can change us.
Jer 2:5 NIV ¡§They followedworthless idols and became worthless
themselves.¡¨
You become like what you worship.
If you„h worship superficialthings ¡V your life becomes superficial.
If you worship„h perverted things ¡V your life becomes perverted.
If you worship evil things„h ¡V your life becomes evil.

183. If your worship the true God ¡V you become godly.„h
That¡¦s because praise and worship ushers in the manifested presence ofGod.
Ps 22:3 (KJV) ¡§But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of
Israel.¡¨
That¡¦s because praise defeats ourenemy.
Ps 8:2 NIV ¡§From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise
because ofyour enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger.¡¨
Ps 149:5-6 ¡§Let the saints be joyful in glory; Let them sing aloud on their
beds. Let the high praises of God be in their mouth, And a two-edgedsword in
their hand.¡¨
Our praise puts evil to flight.
How to Praise God
1. With loud voice.
2. With my body.

184. 3. With music.
4. With our entire lives.
1 Cor 10:31 ¡§Therefore, whether you eator drink, or whateveryou do, do all
to the glory of God.¡¨
Palm Sunday teaches us that Jesus would love such a response. So let¡¦s not
keepquiet just because we are clueless, Itrust you are clued in now with
God¡¦s eternalpurpose to win us back to Himself with the message ofEaster.
You are no longerthe weakestlink, but the crownof His creationwhich you
meant to be from the very beginning, made in His image! You are valuable
enuff that Jesus would go to Jerusalem, endure through the suffering of the
cross. So Godinvites us to humby serve Him like the colt, getuntied to this
world, let Jesus in your life, let Him ride into your life, and celebrate
¡§Worship the Lord your God and serve only him.¡¨ Matthew 4:10 (CEV)
¡§Come, let us sing for joy to the LORD; let us shout aloud to the Rock ofour
salvation.¡¨ Psalm95:1 (NIV)
¡§¡K true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are
kind of worshipers the Fatherseeks.Godis spirit, and his worshippers must
worship in spirit and truth.¡¨ John 4:23,24 (NIV)
Expressions ofWORSHIP:

185. Strong sermons during fear & uncertainty
Full name
Your email address
Try PRO Free
Enter your name and email to begin. Credit card required, cancelany time.
Plus, getemail updates & offers from SermonCentral. Privacy
Singing (Ephesians 5:19)
Thanksgiving (Ephesians 5:20)
Submission to one another (Ephesians 5:21)
Noise (Psalm100:1)
Gladness (Psalm100:2)
Knowledge of God (Psalm 100:3)
AcknowledgementofGod¡¦s love and faithfulness (Psalm 100:5)
Praying (Ephesians 6:18)
Body movement (Romans 12:1)

186. Baptism (Romans 6:3-4)
Lord¡¦s Supper (I Corinthians 11:23-26)
Meditation (Hebrews 3:1)
Giving (1 Corinthians 16:1,2)
Hearing the Word (Colossian3:16)
Heart that is clean(Hebrews 10:22)
¡§Heart of worship¡¨ - I¡¦ll bring You more than a song, for a song in itself is
not what You have required. You searchmuch deeper within, through the
way things appear. You¡¦re looking into my heart. I¡¦m coming back to the
heart of worship. It¡¦s all about You. It¡¦s all about You, Jesus.
Don¡¦t keepquiet about your faith anymore, or the stones will cry out¡K.
Outline
"The Stones Will Cry Out"

187. EasterReflectionseries
A. The Grand Entrance
Palm Sunday celebrates the day Jesus made his triumphal entry into
Jerusalem. But let¡¦s test how much we really know of that day’s events,
recordedin all four Gospels, withthese true or false statements.
1. According to the Gospels, the people wavedpalm branches when Jesus rode
into Jerusalemon Palm Sunday.
2. The date of Jesus’triumphal entry¡Xfive days before Passover¡Xwas a
specialholiday in his time.
3. By their actions, the people were publicly proclaiming Jesus as the Messiah.
4. The fact that Jesus rode a donkey portrayed him as a warrior king.
5. The shouts of "Hosanna!" meant "Praise the Lord!"
6. The route Jesus chosefor his triumphal entry was down the side of Mount
Zion.
7. When the people spread branches and garments in Jesus’path it was to pay
him honor.

188. 8. The shouts of "Blessedis he who comes in the name of the Lord" were
words of a Jewishhymn.
B. Are we clueless?
C. Are we like ¡§The Colt¡¨?
D. The Crowd
The crowd¡¦s response was great¡K Jesus said¡§I like that¡¨
1 Peter2:5, 9 ¡§You also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house,
a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptableto God through
Jesus Christ. But you are a chosengeneration, a royal priesthood, a holy
nation, His own specialpeople, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who
calledyou out of darkness into His marvelous light.¡¨
Ps 150:6 ¡§Let everything that has breath praise the LORD.¡¨
Worship can change us.
Jer 2:5 NIV ¡§They followedworthless idols and became worthless
themselves.¡¨

189. Praise and worship ushers in the presence ofGod.
Ps 22:3 (KJV) ¡§But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of
Israel.¡¨
That¡¦s because praise defeats ourenemy.
Ps 8:2 NIV ¡§From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise
because ofyour enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger.¡¨
Ps 149:5-6 ¡§Let the saints be joyful in glory; Let them sing aloud on their
beds. Let the high praises of God be in their mouth, And a two-edgedsword in
their hand.¡¨
Our praise puts evil to flight.
How to Praise God
1. With loud voice.
Strong sermons during fear & uncertainty
Full name
Your email address
Try PRO Free

190. Enter your name and email to begin. Credit card required, cancelany time.
Plus, getemail updates & offers from SermonCentral. Privacy
2. With my body.
3. With music.
4. With our entire lives.
1 Cor 10:31 ¡§Therefore, whether you eator drink, or whateveryou do, do all
to the glory of God.¡¨
¡§Worship the Lord your God and serve only him.¡¨ Matthew 4:10 (CEV)
¡§Come, let us sing for joy to the LORD; let us shout aloud to the Rock ofour
salvation.¡¨ Psalm95:1 (NIV)
¡§¡K true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are
kind of worshipers the Fatherseeks.Godis spirit, and his worshippers must
worship in spirit and truth.¡¨ John 4:23,24 (NIV)
Expressions ofWORSHIP:
Singing (Ephesians 5:19)

191. Thanksgiving (Ephesians 5:20)
Submission to one another (Ephesians 5:21)
Noise (Psalm100:1)
Gladness (Psalm100:2)
Knowledge of God (Psalm 100:3)
AcknowledgementofGod¡¦s love and faithfulness (Psalm 100:5)
Praying (Ephesians 6:18)
Body movement (Romans 12:1)
Baptism (Romans 6:3-4)
Lord¡¦s Supper (I Corinthians 11:23-26)
Meditation (Hebrews 3:1)
Giving (1 Corinthians 16:1,2)

192. Hearing the Word (Colossian3:16)
Heart that is clean(Hebrews 10:22)
What does it mean that “the rocks will cry out” in Luke 19:40?
rocks cry out
Question:"What does it mean that ‘the rocks will cry out’ in Luke 19:40?"
Answer: The mention of rocks or stones crying out is found in the contextof
the triumphal entry—Jesus’entrance into Jerusalema week before He was
killed. Jesus rode on the back of a borrowed donkey’s colt, and multitudes of
people praisedHim as the “king who comes in the name of the Lord” (Luke
19:38). When the Pharisees in the crowd heard the people’s worship directed
at Jesus, they said to Him, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples!” (verse 39).
The Pharisees hadto know they were powerless to stop the excitementof the
people, so they called on Jesus to stopwhat they believed to be blasphemy.
Jesus replied, “I tell you, . . . if they keepquiet, the stones will cry out” (Luke
19:40). What did Jesus mean by this statement? Did He mean that the rocks
would literally start shouting praises to the Lord? Most likely, no. The
expressionthe stones will cry out seems to be proverbial and isn’t to be
understood as a literal statement. The meaning seems to be that it is more

193. likely that the impossible would happen than for the King of kings to enter
His capitalcity without honor.
In saying that the stones will cry out, Jesus indicates that the people’s
acclamations shouldbe encouraged, not suppressed. The people of Jerusalem
are expressing greatjoy, and that joy is so appropriate, so necessary, that, if
they did not express praise, it would be appropriate for inanimate objects to
fill the void. Colossians 1:16 says that all creationwas made for God’s glory.
Everything in creationdeclares His praise. However, humans are createdin
God’s image (Genesis 1:27), so we are the ones who should be praising God.
Shortly after Jesus’triumphal entry, the people would keepquiet. In just two
days, the crowds would be silent. And, by Friday, they would yell for Him to
be crucified (Luke 23:18–23).
The idea of rocks crying out in praise to the Lord is poetic, startling imagery.
Throughout Scripture are similar poetic passages thatpresent inanimate
objects praising God. For example, in Psalm114:6, the mountains leap. Isaiah
55:12 says, “You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace;the mountains
and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap
their hands.” Throughout Psalm148, there are numerous examples of created
things praising their Creator—the sun, moon, stars, heavens, water, sky,
animals, and people. Everyone and everything was createdfor the pleasure of
the sovereignLord.
https://www.gotquestions.org/rocks-cry-out.html
Even the Stones Will Cry Out

194. By BBC | March 25, 2013 | Comments Offon Even the Stones Will Cry Out
Pastors MaryScheerand Patti Ricotta team up to fill in for PastorDoug.
As PastorPatti and I are sharing this message, we will be using the scripture
PastorDoug had planned on using today. When we realized on Friday that we
would be preaching, we decided to split the scripture passage. I will be
sharing the first part of the scripture from Luke 19:28-34.
March 24, 2013
Luke 19: 28-40, EvenThe RocksWill Cry Out
PastorMary Scheerand PastorPatti Ricotta, BrewsterBaptistChurch
[vimeo 62611551w=500&h=375]
Audio Player
00:00
00:00
Use Up/Down Arrow keys to increase ordecrease volume.
Podcast:Play in new window | Download(Duration: 24:53 — 22.8MB)

195. Sermon Scripture: “After he had said this, he went on ahead, going up to
Jerusalem. 29Whenhe had come near Bethphage and Bethany, at the place
calledthe Mount of Olives, he sent two of the disciples, 30saying, “Gointo the
village aheadof you, and as you enter it you will find tied there a coltthat has
never been ridden. Untie it and bring it here. 31Ifanyone asks you, ‘Why are
you untying it?’ just say this, ‘The Lord needs it.’ ”32So those who were sent
departed and found it as he had told them. 33As they were untying the colt,
its owners askedthem, “Why are you untying the colt?” 34Theysaid, “The
Lord needs it.”
While on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus stoppedin Jericho and taught about the
kingdom of God. People thought the kingdom of God was going to appear at
once, but he said, (Mt. 3:2) “it’s not like that, the kingdom of God is in your
midst.” (Lk 17: 20-21)
Many people were on their way to Jerusalemfor the Passover. This time, the
journey to Jerusalemfor Passoverwouldbe different, it would be his last, but
he was the only one who knew it at the time.
On the way there, he stopped at the Mount of Olives, and senta couple
disciples into the next village to bring back a colt they would find there. In
Mathew’s accountit says they found a donkeyand her colt (or baby or young
donkey) who had never been ridden. (Mt. 21 1-9)
But they said, what if the guy who owns the colt asks us what we are doing?
He said, tell him the Lord needs it.
Now, saying, “the Lord needs it” was an intentional statement. It was
common when a king needed something to send his attendants out to procure
it by saying, “the Lord needs it.”

196. There was an ancientcustom called“angaria” whichallowedfigures of state
and persons of note to impress property into personaluse. This is a right that
extended to Rabbis[1], which was also a waythat people saw Jesus.
Additionally, this would have helped identified Jesus as king of the kingdom
he has been preaching and teaching about.
Do you think the disciples were amazed when they just barely entered the next
town and found a colt tied up just where Jesus saidit would be?
And they were untying it when, just as they thought would happen, the owner
came out of his house and said, what are you guys doing taking my colt? And
they said, “the Lord needs it.” And he let them have it.
While the passagedescribes people praising Jesus as King.
This fulfills scripture from Zechariah9:9 (& Isaiah 7:14), which says,
“Rejoicegreatly, DaughterZion! Shout, Daughter Jerusalem! See, your king
comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a
colt, the foal of a donkey.”
I think it’s interesting that tradition holds that just before Jesus was born, his
mother rode on a donkey into Bethlehemwhere she and Josephwere going for
the census. And now a few days before Jesus would die, he road on a donkey
into Jerusalem.

197. By riding in on a donkeyinstead of a powerful horse as most kings would, it
draws a picture of equal poverty and authority. He rides in as one in peace
and not as one going to war.
This text raisedat least two questions for me.
1. Why did Jesus send the disciples to go geta donkey instead of borrowing
one from someone they knew, or even asking for one himself?
I think there are a few reasons.
By doing it this way, he allowedthe keeperof the colt to partner with him in
his next act of ministry.
The creatorof the world does not need anything, yet choosesto allow us to
partner with him in the work he calls us to in the world.
The disciples were doing their part making arrangements and preparing the
way, for the ministry of Jesus.
And like the disciples, we participate in and make arrangements for the (on-
going)ministry of Jesus.
I remember the first year I was here. I heard PastorKevin make a call from
his office to a car rental place. He was renting two vans for the youth group

198. to go somewhere,and I heard him say; tell them BrewsterBaptistChurch
needs two vans. I instantly thought of this passage in Luke.
Whether we are fetching donkey’s or renting vans, even the not so glamorous
details of the every ministry matters to God.
2. Why does Jesus wanta colt that has never been used?
The colt that has never been used can in some ways be like our unused
spiritual gifts or talents.
Some of you have heard me share before about how I am naturally shy.
When our family were members of a church close to our house in Chicago,
long ago before I was a pastoror had even thought of going to seminary, I was
in a small group at my pastors house.
At the end of small group, everyone would stand in a circle and join hands
and one at a time saya small prayer. I would sweatand shake and dread my
turn. By the time it was my turn I felt so nervous about what I would say
because everyone else had alreadyprayed everything there was to pray and I
could not think of anything new.
I just wantedto say“pass” whenit came to me, but my pastorwouldn’t let
me. One day he said to me, “you can’t pass. Everyone is blessedby each
prayer. It does not matter if everyone saidthe same exactprayer. Every
voice must be heard.” His insistence…strong encouragement, helped me to do
what I did not think I could do, helped me to be able to hear Godcalling me to

199. the next step and the next that would eventually lead me to being a pastor able
to pray for all of you.
What if the Lord said, “I have need of it” to us?
How would you reactif the Lord askedyou to give or do something that you
had not done before or weren’t sure of?
A few years back, the youth were getting ready to go on a missiontrip to
Washington. At the last minute the youth pastorwas ill and not able to go.
So, PastorDoug calleda day before they were to leave and askedme to go
with the youth.
I am not a youth pastor, and though I have 4 children, I have no training in
youth ministry. It is a specializedtraining.
That trip will always be remembered as a highlight in ministry for me. I had
such a goodtime with our amazing students. We did some really goodwork.
I will always be really grateful for the opportunity.
This church has felt calledto a wide variety of ministries. Many people have
heard in their heart the Lord say, “I have need of it.” Maybe there is
something, or something new you might be sensing Godcalling you to.
When Jesus told the disciples to go geta colt and bring it back, they might
have thought it just another part of an ordinary day, but we know that it was
a part of God’s wider plan.

200. This Palm Sunday, my prayer is that we will be sensitive to the prompting of
Jesus in us saying, “I have need of that.” And may eachfind ourselves in his
story.
Maybe you identify with the ownerof the colt as you help provide for needed
ministries.
Or the fetcher of the colt? Or one planning, preparing or engaging in a
ministry that lifts Jesus up.
This morning, we all join the crowdglorifying God, saying Hosanna to the
Son of David. Amen, and Amen.
When Mary and I were looking at the passagetogether, we had a goodtime
talking about the different things we eachsaw in these verses. Isn’t it fun to
discuss the Scriptures with someone who loves the Bible as much as you?
As Mary talkedabout the un-ridden donkeybeing like our unused gifts, that
made me think (as I read through my part of the passage)aboutwho Jesus is
as the one who invites us to partner with him in using our gifts. And who
Jesus is as our King.
We pick up the Palm Sunday story at verse 35…
35 Then they brought it to Jesus;and after throwing their cloaks onthe colt,
they setJesus on it.

201. 36 As he rode along, people kept spreading their cloaks onthe road.
37 As he was now approaching the path down from the Mount of Olives, the
whole multitude of the disciples beganto praise God joyfully with a loud voice
for all the deeds of powerthat they had seen, 38 saying, “Blessedis the king
who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven, and glory in the highest
heaven!”
39 Some of the Pharisees in the crowdsaid to him, “Teacher, orderyour
disciples to stop.”
40 He answered, “Itell you, if these were silent, the stones would shout out.”
What we see in this passageis very different behavior from Jesus than we
have seenbefore in his ministry. Up until this very moment, Jesus has avoided
every attempt of people to make him king.
But now, not only is Jesus letting the people hail him as king, he is carefully
orchestrating every detail of his triumphal entry into Jerusalem.
Why do you suppose he has changedhis behavior so completely—now? What
was going on in Jesus mind that said, “Now is the time”? I would have loved
for Jesus to stay on earth teaching for another 3 years. But something had
happened that made him know this was the time to revealto the world that he
is the “one who comes in the name of the Lord.” Well, let look at what’s
happening.

202. In vs. 35 his disciples make a soft saddle out of their cloaks, and the verse says
“they set Jesus onit.” In Luke’s story, Jesus doesn’tjust climb on the donkey;
his disciples sethim on it. They must have lifted him up the way a royal
footmen would lift a king or a squire would lift a knight and place him on his
trusty steed.
As he rode along, people spread out their cloaks. Othergospels saythey threw
branches on the ground. This was an ancient wayof showing respectand
honor to a king or dignitary. Fredrick Beuchner calledit “a poor man’s red
carpettreatment.[2]”
By the time he got to the path leading down from the Mount of Olives the
whole multitude of disciples were praising God…joyfully…with a loud voice
for all the deeds of powerthat they had seenJesus do.
By now Jesus had many “disciples.”These are not just people on the street.
Luke alone makes the point that the crowd included a multitude of disciples.
I think this is one of the important clues as to why Jesus chosethis time to
revealhimself as king.
Have you ever read “The Tipping Point” By MalcolmGladwell? In this book,
Gladwellwrites about what he calls “a magic moment when an idea, trend, or
socialbehavior crosses a threshold, tips, and spreads like wildfire.”[3]

203. It could be that Jesus knew he had a critical mass of disciples to carry on his
work after he was gone. This multitude of disciples were people who had
followedhim and knew first-hand of the greatthings he had done.
When they said, “Blessedis the king who comes in the name of the Lord!
Peace in heaven, and glory in the highest heaven!” This was messianic speech.
Jesus couldfinally come to Jerusalemas her king.
And after these three years of ministry, another tipping point had takenplace.
His followers finally understood that he was a different kind of king than
anyone could ever have imagined.
Jesus was not coming as a ruler with a royal palace where he would summon
his subjects and demand their homage. He was not coming as a monarch with
a greattreasury filled with money for building massive stone roadways or
constructing miles of fresh wateraqueducts.
Jesus’royal place is in the heart of his followers. The roadways he builds are
the paths of righteousness thatare lit by the lamp of his word. And he is the
aqueduct from which living waterflows through us and into the world.
Jesus had no worldly or kingly goods to attractworshipers. He used his
power, not to coerce politicaladvantage orpress his subjects into service, but
to draw hurting, broken people out of the shadows and into abundant life.

204. Vs. 37 says that his disciples praised him because of all the deeds of power
that they had seenJesus do. What had they seen? Whatdeeds of powercould
create suchworship?
Just looking briefly at the book of Luke we see cansee how this king Jesus
rules.
He comes into the world, not through a queen, but through a humble young
village girl.
He uses a locust-eating, hair-shirt wearing firebrand odd-ball named John to
prepare the wayfor his ministry. (If you were going to be a mighty ruler
would you trust someone like John to be your forerunner? King Jesus did.)
This king’s mission statement includes giving goodnews to the poor instead of
ignoring them, or exploiting them; freeing prisoners instead of creating more
of them; giving sight to the blind, insteadof pulling the woolover people’s
eyes;and freeing the oppressedrather than thinking of them as a burden
(4:18-19).
He heals an outcastman with leprosy; sets people free from demon
possession;heals a paralyzed man; brings back a little girl from the dead.
He chose a motley crew, mostly made up of nobody fishermen, to help him
change the world!
He raised a dead man in order to offer socialsecurityto his widowedmother.
And that’s just through chapter 7!
In all these stories, Jesus is the kind of king that restores people who suffer at
the margins of life, and brings them into full participation in the community.

205. He responds to his followers from his heart of love, and self-giving—and
ultimately, self-sacrifice.That’s what he offers and that’s what compelleda
whole multitude of the disciples to praise God joyfully with a loud voice.
There were now enough people who knew what kind of king Jesus really was.
Jesus knew that his kingdom would prevail even after he was gone.
In our last two verses, the crowd was atthe height of joy and gratitude. But
that was just too much for the religious elite who are threatened by this kind
of king who would expose their hypocrisy. Furiously, 39 “Some of the
Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, ‘Teacher, orderyour disciples to stop.’
40 He answered, ‘I tell you, if these were silent, the stones would shout out.’”
“The stones would shout out…” The fullness of the knowledge ofthe Lord and
of the kind of king Jesus was had so filled the earth that nothing could stop
the praise that was due him!
The tipping point had been reachedso that even the lifeless world recognized
life when it saw it. All of creationwas aware of Jesus’Lordship, exceptthe
leadership of the nation.[4]
It’s no wonder the disciples praisedGod with joy and the rocks were ready to
cry out. Let me ask you this: Do we recognize the kind of King Jesus reallyis?
Have you made this king your lord and Savior?
Let’s pray.

206. Lord, as we go about the coming week, mayyou fix us in a Holy Week frame
of mind. As we see new leaves trying to peek out from their branches, let them
remind us of Palm Sunday’s triumphant Lord riding in on a donkey and the
Palm branches that paved his way. Let us hear you whisper in our ears, “I
have need of your gift.” Remind us that we all have a part to play in
partnership with you.
Lord, you are the king who brings us out of the margins and into life
abundant! How canwe be so blessedto have the Lord of Love as our Savior?
Lord Jesus, wouldit be too much to ask you to prompt us to praise you every
time we see a stone—whetherin our yard, or the beach, as part of a fence, or
even in a dump truck full of rocks onits way to a constructionsite. Wherever
we see a stone, let it give us the courage to speak your praises to whomever we
are with. It is in your name that we pray, Amen
The Stones Cry Out (Chapter 47 of Jesus:His Story In Stone)
Postedon May 9, 2016 by Mike Mason
I tell you, if they keepquiet, the stones will cry out. –Luke 19:40
What is more inert, more inanimate, more incapable of voice than a stone?
Throughout this book we see an intimate connectionbetweenstones and
prayer—in the Stone of Temptation, the Rock of the Agony, the use of stones
as altars, etc. Now look at all these paper prayers crammed into crevices in
the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem. Silence canbe very loud indeed.

207. Wailing Wall Prayers
A prayer-infused stone in the WesternWall
It is the Sunday before Passoverand the famous rabbi who has worked
wonders throughout Israelis coming to town. As He rides on a donkeydown
toward the city, people throng His path waving branches and shouting,
“Blessedis the king who comes in the name of the Lord!” Earlierin His
ministry Jesus had resistedthe impulse of the crowd “to come and make him
king by force” (Jn 6:15), but now He welcomes their shouts of “Hosanna to
the Sonof David!”—a forthright acclamationappropriate only for the divine
Messiah. To scandalizedobjections from the Pharisees—“Teacher, rebuke
your disciples!”—Jesusmakes a reply that brings us to the heart of this book:
“I tell you, if they keepquiet, the stones will cry out.”
So many of Jesus’words echo Old Testamentscriptures. Here He reflects
Habbakuk 2:11, where the prophet condemns those who build cities by
bloodshed and injustice with the words, “The stones of the wallwill cry out,
and the beams of the woodwork willecho it.” What stones was Jesus declaring
would cry out? Before going to Jerusalemmyself, I assumedHe meant the
stones on the pathway He was riding along, or those of the adjoining fields.
But no, I see now that He was gazing at the greatcity wall of Jerusalem,
whose countless stone blocks were people, representative ofliving souls:the
thousands of workers who had quarried them, carvedthem, carried them,
built with them time and againthrough centuries. It was these, the poor of the
world, who with raucous praises gladly receivedChrist as their King. To these
citizens of the true Jerusalemthe Lord says, “See,I have engravedyou on the
palms of my hands; your walls are everbefore me” (Is 49:16).

208. An impoverished family I know dreamt for years of buying a house of their
own. It seemedsuchan impossible hope that they used to say, “It will happen
when pigs fly.” Today they are happily settled in their own beautiful home,
where a small statue of a winged pig gracestheir front hall. “The stones will
cry out” presents a comparable image:an utterly impossible blossoming into
reality before one’s very eyes.
What the common folk of Jerusalemlongedfor in their Messiahwas a
deliverer who would free them from the Romans, and indeed from the
religious oppressionof their own leaders. That is why they shouted,
“Hosanna!”—a Hebrew word meaning literally “Pleasesave!” It was like the
cry of a drowning man: Help! Save me! And when Jesus declaredthat even
the stones would“cry out,” the Greek verb crazo, meaning literally to croak
as a raven, and thus to screamor shriek, contains the double meaning of the
English cry: both to shout out with enthusiasm and to wail desperately.
One day when Christ returns to earth to banish all God’s enemies and take
full possessionof His kingdom, pigs will indeed fly. This day is coming the way
spring comes, the way the dawn comes, the way the tide comes rolling in
unstoppably. If human beings will not acceptJesus Christas King, then the
very dust beneath their feet will. Mute rocks will rise up, spread stony arms,
open mouths and throats and lungs and break into shouts of praise. “ForI tell
you,” ranted John the Baptist, “God is able from these stones to raise up
children for Abraham” (Lk 3:8).
Photo by Mike Mason

209. Rocks andStones Will Cry Out
by Rev. Randy Brown
About 15 years ago, I went to a Fellowshipof Christian Athletes Boy’s Camp
in Black Mountain, North Carolina. The music leader that week, wasa man
by the name of Herb Lord. Herb startedthe week with a song that I had never
heard before. As he started the week, he read a Scripture, and it was the
Scripture that Chandler just read. Then, he began with a song. Now, don’t
worry. I’m not going to sing. You all have done a beautiful job of that, despite
what Dana said.
The words were, “Ain’t no rock, don’t cry, in my place. As long as I live, I will
glorify His Holy Name. Ain’t no bird going to flap its wings, in my place. As
long as I live, I will glorify His Name. Ain’t no tree going to wave its branches,
in my place. As long as I live, I will glorify His Name. Ain’t no rock, going to
take my place.”
We’re continuing to talk about stones as we getto the end of our Lenten
season. We’re going to see what Jesus saidabout stones but before we see
what he said about them, we’re going to see how he gotto that place. Let’s set
the story. For just a moment, you’ve all read and heard it this morning, but
there’s some other things I want to bring out for us to look at.
It was an exciting time in the city of Jerusalem. Passoverfeverwas racing at
an all-time high. There was more than a 1.2 million people who were coming
to that ancient city of Jerusalem. It was biggerthan Bonnaroo. Okay? Much,
much bigger, than Bonnaroo. Jesus, to this point, had not drawn much
attention to himself. Suddenly, that was getting ready to change. Jesus was
now forcing the hand of the authorities to see what they were going to do
about him and about his life and ministry.

210. As the Passoverfeastwas coming, so was the parade, and Jesus was the
Grand Marshallof the parade. He planned his own parade. He directed his
own parade. By the way, he deservedthe parade, didn’t he? He deservedthe
parade. As he got the parade ready, he had to even get his own transportation.
It was the colt he had to borrow from some unnamed person. We don’t know
who it was, but he had to borrow a colt.
If you think for a moment, Jesus was always borrowing things. As he walked
along beside the beach, he askedthe fisherman. He said, “I need to borrow
your boat.” They let it out, just a little ways. He used it as a platform to
preach his sermon. There was a young boy, who came to him one day. He said,
“I need to borrow your lunch.” He fed 5,000 people. Beforethe week is over,
he’ll borrow a room and have his final meal with the disciples. By this time
next week, he will borrow a tomb and then leave it empty.
It’s strange to me that He, who had it all, He who createdit all, came to this
point of his life and he had to borrow something. He borrowed a colt, and He
came into the city. I don’t know about you but as I picture this in my mind, I
see that the colt wasn’ta very big animal. I don’t know if Jesus was a tall man
or not, but I just sense the picture in my mind that Jesus was probably too tall
for this colt, and His legs probably dangled off the side of the colt. Like a
clownwho’s riding a bicycle in the circus and his legs are too long for the
circus bicycle. His legs dangling there.
He comes that way. He comes meek, and mild, and humble. Luke tells us that
he heads to Jerusalemfrom the west. If you’re going from the westto
Jerusalem, you have to go uphill. There’s that donkey who has to carry Jesus
uphill. There’s a lot going on here. Let’s be careful and remember something
about a parade. You everbeen to a parade at the start of something? A
parade means that something’s ending.

211. As you go to a parade ... This parade, it means that Jesus has come to the end
of his life. If you go to the Homecoming parade, it means that the season’s just
about over and the Homecoming Queen, she may be a senior this year, but
next year, she’s a freshman. It’s just about over. If you go to a parade to
celebrate the championship of a season, it’s after the seasonis over. When
Spring training begins, everybody’s undefeated. A parade means that
something’s over.
It may come in the form of a gold watch, which means you’re on your way
out. Or, it may be a money tree, which means, “See you later.” Or, it may be a
proclamation about a government official and it means, “Beennice knowing
you, somebody else is going to take your place.” Be careful. Be carefulabout
wanting a parade because it means that the end has come.
I think Jesus knew that. He rode this colt into Jerusalemthat day. Probably at
the beginning of the parade, there was some kids there. They got caughtup in
the moment. They began to peel off their cloak and lay it on the ground for
the donkeyto walk over. Then, another, and another, and another, and then
the men would take off their cloak. The women would take off theirs. One of
the teenagersclimbed up in a tree and got palm branches. They beganto wave
them. That’s how the parade started. All is well.
The colt plods one step at a time, up that steeproad, into Jerusalem. He’s
carrying the weightof Jesus on his back. Jesus is carrying the weight of the
world and the sin of the world. Not only does that colt struggle to make it up
that steepmountain but Jesus is struggling as well, for he is carrying the sins
of the world, as they near Jerusalem. They get close to Jerusalem, but
Jerusalemis not close to Him.

212. The pain and the anguish is way too much. We’re told that when they getto
the top and Jesus looks outover the city, it says, “Jesuswept.” There’s only
two times in Scripture that Jesus weeps. One is for Lazarus and one is for
Jerusalem. He sees the sin, the disobedience, the hurt, the anguish, and He
weeps because theyjust don’t get it. They just don’t getit.
People have lined the road. They’ve reachedout to him. They’ve seenhis
miracles. They’ve tastedhis manna. They’ve spread their garments. They’ve
tossedtheir garlands of praise. He is coming. He’s their King but, yet, they
don’t quite get it. The time has come for Jesus to force the hands of the
religious bureaucracy. There will be no more closeddoor meetings. There will
be no more plotting againstHim. They’ll either confess Him or curse Him.
They’ll either crown Him or kill Him. As he and that straining coltmake their
way up to the crestof Jerusalem, He’s full of anguish. As Jerusalemcomes
into focus, Jesus seems to rise like coming up out of a summit. He’s there.
All of a sudden, the praises began. The applaud is deafening. The whistling
goes. The screams ofpraise. If you think you’ve seena flash mob before, you
ought to picture this in your mind as a flash mob. They just began to erupt in
praise and adoration and spontaneous worship. There’s no leaderto read the
liturgy. Love was enough to get that done. Joy was enoughto guide them
through this moment. There were no surprises. Somebody had to be there.
Somebody had to stand in opposition. It was the religious establishment of the
day, described in the Pharisees.
You know what? When Jesus enteredand they beganto see him and the flash
mob came and the applause and the adoration and the praise was going
toward Heaven, you know what His opposition did? His opposition went to
him and said, “Jesus, couldyou quiet the crowd?”

213. You ever been to a football stadium? The opposition calls time out and says,
“Could you getyour people to be quiet? We need to run the play.” You talk
about a home field advantage. This was the home field advantage. It was on
Jesus’home field. He wasn’tabout to tell them to be quiet. The whole world
was worshiping. Those who stoodin opposition, stood there in silence and
sternness. Kind of like Methodists on Sunday morning. They were the “frozen
chosen.”
They had so much education but so little understanding. So much learning but
so little life. They saidto Jesus, “Don’tmake this any harder than it is. You
know, we got an electioncoming up next year. Help us out here. Just tell your
folks to calm down, cooldown and chill out. Go home.” Jesus said, “If I do
that, then the rocks and the stones will cry out.” No way for Jesus not to get
praise because the Scripture tell us, “The Earth is the Lord’s and the fullness
thereof, the Heavens are telling the Glory of God and the firmament
proclaims his handy work.” If we cease to voice our praise, the rocks and
stones will cry out.
Jesus deserves to be praised. To be worshiped. Godinhabits the praises of his
people. When we praise Him, we let Him know that, “We gotit.” We let him
know that we understand who He is. That’s what worship is. That He is
worthy of our praise.
Now, you know the story from here. You know it takes a sudden turn. You
know that those who cried “Hosanna” and that those who cried out, “Blessed
is He who comes in the name of the Lord.” That within a few days, they’re
going to be saying, “Crucify, crucify, crucify.” We don’t know exactly what
happened but something happened, and the mob began to praise in a different
way, beganto shout in a different way.

214. So, we need to ask ourselves this morning, “Which group will we join? Will
we be on the Sunday crowdor the mid-week crowd?” If we go to the mid-
week crowd, or if we just remain silent. Jesus says ... Don’t worry Nick, I’m
not going to drop it. Jesus says, “The rocksand stones will cry out.” Ain’t no
rock going to take my place. What about you? Is it going to take your place?
You’re going to let this take your place? It’s time for our church to raise our
voices. Do I get an Amen?
Amen.
All right. I had somebody tell me lastweek, “Preacher, Iwanted to Amen you
today but I didn’t know what people would think.” Don’t worry about what
people think. If the spirit moves you, just do it, because if you don’t, the rocks
and stones will cry out.
How do we raise our voices? Well, the Scripture tells us in Ecclesiastes,
“There’s a time to be speak and a time to stay silent.” Can I suggestto us that
the world we live in, it’s time to speak up. It’s time to speak up. It’s time to
right a wrong. It’s time to defend the weak. It’s time to heal the hurting. It’s
time to be a friend to the lonely. It’s time to praise our Savior. It’s time to
affirm our Creator. It’s time to give credit where credit is due. Becauseif we
don’t, then the rocks and stones will cry out.
Are we going to let that happen? Or, are we going to take care of that? I want
to practice. You all don’t mind that, do you? Participate with me. I’m going to
point at this group, and you all say, “Amen.”
Amen.

215. You all say, “Hallelujah.”
Hallelujah.
We all say, “Glory to God.”
Glory to God. Amen. Hallelujah. Glory to God. Hallelujah. Amen. Glory to
God.
You know what the Scripture says? It says, “Letthe redeemedof the Lord say
so.” You’ve just proven to me that you cando it.
Amen. Hallelujah. Glory to God.
Let the redeemed of the Lord sayso. That’s what the Book says, and the Book
never lies. Amen.
Amen.
One more time.
Amen. Hallelujah. Glory to God.

216. Lord, we love you and we thank You. We don’t want rocks doing our work.
When we go forth from this place, use our voices to bring praise to You. In
Jesus’name, Amen.
https://www.cell-lessons.com/sermons/rocksAndStonesWillCryOut.html
Stones that Cry Out. RadicalGrace from the Book ofRomans (4:18-22)
Tomb at Hope CemeteryTombatHope Cemetery
"Againstall hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of
many nations, just as it had been said to him, So shall your offspring be.
Without weakening in his faith, he facedthe fact that his body was as goodas
dead-since he was about a hundred years old-and that Sarah's womb was also
dead. Yet he did not waverthrough unbelief regarding the promise of God,
but was strengthenedin his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded
that God had powerto do what he had promised. This is why 'it was credited
to him as righteousness.'"(Romans 4:18-22, NIV2)
We all have frailties, weaknessesandhandicaps. One of them tends to be our
own worries and fears, which canhandicap us from becoming who we truly
are in Christ. Too easilywe let the influences of this world affect our spiritual
growth.
Strangely, in a land of plenty, we either shake in our boots or we become
indifferent when askedto stand up for our Daddy in Heaven and share the
hope that would turn the world around. We considerourselves unprepared to

217. be His witnesses.We have plenty of excuses, many legitimate, others not. And
so we tend to be church pew potatoes, confining our faith to church time.
Didn't Moseshave basicallythe same kind of justifications? Still God shone
through Him, once he abdicatedhis crusade for a higher calling.
Interestingly, Abraham truly had no reasonto hope for an heir, as his body as
well as his wife's were well past their prime. What God was saying was just
impossible! Impossible -- At leastby human standards! A child at their age
would be completely unheard of!
Did this affect Abraham's faith? No way! He had many legitimate excuses,but
he never dwelt on these. Instead he never doubted that his Heavenly Daddy
would somehow fulfill His promise. That's faith. Realfaith. Not only did
Abraham have this hope, he also continually praised God publically for being
his strength. His relationship with God was more important than any of his
desires. But then, it is when we hunger the most for God that He provides the
impossible!
We may not be openly declaring God's goodness, but if that is the case, stones
will cry out and be the witnessesto the MostHigh. "'I tell you,' he replied, 'if
they keepquiet, the stones will cry out.'" (Luke 19:40, NIV2). I saw that very
fact with my own eyes. We were in Barre, Vermont, and as we walked
through Hope Cemetery we encounteredtwo unusual tomb stones in the
shape of pyramids. One was the husband's tombstone, the other, the wife's.
Both were proclaiming a message ofhope that goes beyond our mortality.
Engravedon all sides of both pyramids, was a message thatstarted with "If
you met Jane Elinor Vrooman and forgot her, you have lostnothing, but if
you met Jesus Christ and forgothim, you have losteverything. If you want to
meet me later in heaven, please read on . . .

218. Will we let ourselves be beaten by stones? Or will we, with God's help, be
beacons ofhope in this world? Will we follow in Abraham's footsteps and
trust in our Heavenly Daddy openly and vigorously? After all, He is the Only
One who canperform the impossible! Why not experience Him fully!
https://www.sermonillustrator.org/illustrator/sermon34/Stones%20that%20C
ry%20Out.htm
SERMON TITLE:"The Stones Will Cry Out"
SERMON TEXT:Luke 19:28-44
PREACHER:Rev. Kim James
OCCASION:March24, 2013 (Palm Sunday), at WesleyUMC
INTRODUCTION
Those of you who were here last Sunday or who talkedto anyone who was
here last
Sunday know about my big announcement, that I will be moving to Ogden,
UT, in June. My
new appointment at Ogden First United MethodistChurch will begin July 1.
As I was flying into Salt Lake City a couple weeksago formy introductory
meeting
there, I was thinking about the mountains that rise up so sharply from the
Salt Lake Valley.
Since I've never lived or spent much time in Utah, right now I have very few
answers and lots of

219. questions. Which came first, the valley or the mountains? What kind of
natural forces pushed
those rocks up into the air like that? How many earthquakes and tectonic
shifts were required to
loosenthe layers of stone? Did all that happen over millions or billions of
years? And has the
movement of those rocks stoppednow, or are the mountains still growing
taller? Since we will
be buying a house, I want to know, will the ground still be shifting? And then,
of course, there
are questions about erosion. How much have wind and waterworn those hills
away? And did
all that salt in the lake come out of the rocks?
If rocks could talk, they'd have a lot to say. Think of rocks full of fossils, rocks
that have
layers of dinosaur-era oil and natural gas betweenthem, rocks that have been
blown out of
volcanoes,rocks thathave been washeddown creeks and rivers, rocks that
have been pushed by
glaciers and avalanches--andhow about those meteor rocks that have been
thrown to the earth
from some distant place in the galaxy? Or think about a sparkly cut and
polished rock that is
attachedto a ring, and given by a guy to his favorite gal. Such a precious stone
nearly shouts out
the question, "Will you marry me?"
2

220. In today's Palm Sunday reading, we hear the Phariseescommanding Jesus to
silence his
disciples. Jesus'response was, if his disciples "keepquiet, the stones will cry
out." Let's
considerthis response. If the stones would cry out, what exactly would they
say?
1. JESUS IS BLESSED!
If the stones would cry out, the first thing they would say is, "Jesus is
blessed!" Like the
people who were walking along the road with Jesus, the stones would be
shouting out their
praises to this one who was a new and different kind of king. They would be
proclaiming that
the kingdom of God was near. The stones would be telling all who would listen
about the
compassionatecare ofJesus. Theywould boldly announce that Jesus was the
one who healed
the sick, gave sightto the blind, offeredmovement to the paralyzed, and
inspired hope in the
discouraged. The stones would sing out about the kind and inclusive way
Jesus spoke to women,
children, the poor, and the oppressed. The rocks would proclaim Jesus'wise
teachings. They
would tell how he challengedthose in authority, by pointing out their
hypocrisy and holding
them accountable. If the stones would cry out, they would tell that Jesus was
not a violent

221. military king. All he wanted was to connectpeople's hearts and minds to God.
Jesus wantedto
help his Hebrew people have a better life. Jesus wantedto show them the way
of peace.
For all those reasons, the stones would cry out a message ofpraise and
thanksgiving.
Like the Palm Sunday crowd, the stones would be waving palm branches and
laying their cloaks
in the road. They would be hailing the king who comes in the name of the
Lord. They would be
shouting, "Jesus is blessed!"
2. JESUS RESISTSTEMPTATION!
If the stones would cry out, a secondthing they might sayis that Jesus resists
temptation.
You remember the story of Jesus'40-dayfast in the wilderness. He was out
there by himself in
3
the desertfor 40 days with nothing to eat. And what was his first temptation?
To turn stones in
to bread. Surely the stones would remember that. They would remember and
tell everyone that
Jesus did not give in to that temptation. Despite his horrible hunger, he did
not resortto using
magic or divinity for his ownadvantage. Despite his suffering, Jesus didn't
give in to Satan.
Instead, Jesus turned to the word of Godfor strength and nourishment.

222. The stones would remember that Jesus had not eatenthem. They would
proclaim to all
who would listen that Jesus was a survivor. He was an amazing super hero.
Jesus was the one
who had powerfrom God to do what others could not or would not do. And,
the stones wouldbe
quick to add, Jesus didn't abuse that poweror hoard that powerin himself.
Jesus was and is
willing to share it with anyone who desires to live in relationship with God.
Jesus is eagerto
have disciples who will listen to his teachings and follow him in the way of
righteousness and
truth. If the stones wouldcry out, they would tell that Jesus resists temptation
and helps others to
do the same.
3. JESUS HAS MERCY!
If the stones would cry out, a third thing they would say is that Jesus has
mercy. Do you
remember the story in John chapter 8 about the woman who was caughtin
adultery? The
teachers ofthe law and the Pharisees broughta woman to the temple courts
where Jesus was
teaching. They accusedherof adultery and pickedup stones to throw at her.
They reminded
Jesus that the Law of Moses saidthey were to stone such a woman. They
askedJesus whathe

223. thought they should do. Jesus replied, "If any of you is without sin, let him be
the first to throw a
stone at her." At that, everyone began to go awayuntil only Jesus was left
with the woman. "Has
no one condemned you?" askedJesus. "No one, sir," she said. "Thenneither
do I condemn
you," Jesus declared. "Go now and leave your life of sin."
4
If stones communicatedwith eachother, this would probably be one of their
favorite
stories to tell: How Jesus stoppedthe teachers from throwing stones atthat
woman. If stones
would cry out, they would shout that Jesus has mercy!
4. JESUS OFFERSLASTING PEACE
Closelyrelatedto Jesus'non-violent mercy is a fourth truth. If the stones
would talk,
they'd cry out that "Jesusoffers lasting peace!" In Luke 19:41, we see that
Jesus weptover
Jerusalem. "If you had only known," he said, "whatwould bring you peace."
Jesus was foretelling the destruction of Jerusalemby the Romans. The stone
walls would
be broken down, he said. And, in fact, they were. In A.D. 70, Jerusalemwas
besieged, and the
holy temple was destroyed. Once againin their history, the Jewishpeople felt
violated by a
foreign powerand abandoned by God. But Jesus had offeredthem another
way. He had taught

224. them to turn the other cheek. He had taught them that, if a Romandemanded
them to carry a
load one mile, they should carry it two. Jesus had taught them, Blessedare the
meek. Jesus had
taught them to forgive overand over again.
I'm not sure how he knew, but somehow Jesus figuredout that lasting peace
doesn't come
through building stone walls. Stones canalways fall or be knockeddown.
Only through
following Jesus'non-violent teachings canwe get the result of lasting peace.
CONCLUSION
In 2006, a Leonardo DiCaprio movie came out calledBlood Diamond. I've
never had a
chance to see it, but I read about it. "Setduring the Sierra Leone Civil War in
1996-2001, the
film [portrayed] a country torn apart by the struggle betweengovernment
soldiers and rebel
forces." The film depicted "many of the atrocities" rebels perpetratedin
order "to discourage
[people] from voting in upcoming elections."1
5
The film also educatedthe public about the use of diamonds, "mined in a war
zone and
sold to finance an insurgency, [or] invading army's war efforts." This use of
blood diamonds--

225. also knownas conflict diamonds or war diamonds--has not been limited to
Sierra Leone. Blood
diamonds have also beenused to finance rebellions in Angola, Liberia, the
Ivory Coast, and the
Republic of Congo.2
Becausethe purchase of such diamonds has contributed to violence and civil
unrest, the
United Nations and the diamond industry have come up with a "conflict-free"
diamond
certificationmethod to assure purchasers that their diamonds have not
contributed to warfare and
violence.
If diamonds could talk, we'd want them to witness to love, not war. We'd want
them to
speak of peace, notviolence. It was that more positive side of life that Jesus
was thinking of
when he replied to the Pharisees.If Jesus'disciples were silenced, then the
stones would have to
tell the story. And tell it they would! They'd testify that Jesus is blessed!
They'd announce that
Jesus resists temptation! They'd shout that Jesus has mercy! And they'd
proclaim that Jesus
offers lasting peace!Without a doubt, the stones will cry out

226. "I tell you that if these [people] should keepsilent, the stones would
immediately cry out."
These words, proceeding from the very lips of our Lord Jesus Christin Luke
19:40 tell us just how worthy He is to be praised.
His words paint so much more than stones with opened mouths shouting His
praise; it shows our wonderful privilege as His people createdin His image
and likeness.
But why did He saythese words? What canwe learn from them? Let's talk
about that.
The day we stop praising Him
Jesus saidthese words as a response to some critics who envied Him. Let's
read the passage:
"Then, as He was now drawing near the descentof the Mount of Olives, the
whole multitude of the disciples beganto rejoice and praise God with a loud
voice for all the mighty works they had seen, saying:
" 'Blessedis the King who comes in the name of the Lord!' Peacein heaven
and glory in the highest!"

227. And some of the Pharisees calledto Him from the crowd, "Teacher, rebuke
Your disciples."
But He answeredand said to them, "I tell you that if these should keepsilent,
the stones wouldimmediately cry out."" (Luke 19:37-40)
At this point Jesus was on His way to Jerusalem, knowing that the time for
His suffering and death on the cross was drawing near. As He made His way
to Jerusalem, His followers praisedHim.
On the other hand, the Pharisees, His critics, wantedHis followers to shut up.
They refuse to recognize Christ's identity as the promised Messiah, and
instead of respecting Him they mockedHim by telling Him to quiet His
disciples.
In response, the Lord Jesus saidthat if His followers stopshouting His praise,
inanimate stones wouldbe the ones to shout in their place.
Why is this?
The Bible tells us that everything in creationwas made for His glory.
Colossians 1:16 tells us,

228. "Forby Him all things were createdthat are in heavenand that are on earth,
visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or
powers. All things were createdthrough Him and for Him."
Everything we can see and cannot see is for His glory. Even the demons bring
Him glory, knowing that He alone is God. James 2:19 tells us,
"You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe -
and tremble!"
This simple means that everything in creationhas to praise Him. Everything
in creationhas to declare His praise.
But as humans createdin His own image and likeness (see Genesis 1:27), we
are the ones who should glorify Him primarily. We are given this wonderful
privilege of reflecting Him because we were made to reflectHim.
And if we refuse to do that, the stones will praise Him. To His glory, and to
our shame.
In closing
Friends, we must realize and recognize that while all of creationglorifies God,
we humans are the only ones given the privilege of glorifying Him by being
made in His image and likeness.

229. We ought to glorify Him, then, non-stop.
https://www.christiantoday.com/article/why-did-jesus-say-the-stones-will-cry-
out/125468.htm
Word : The Stones will Cry Out {Revisited}
Culled and revised from a sermon from Dr. D.K Olukoya. GeneralOverseer
of the Mountain of fire and Miracles Ministries.
Sermon Date:Sunday, 25 January, 2015
@ MFM Headquarters, Lagos.
The Stones Will Cry Out
What we are looking at today is not a sermon but a message. It may sound like
a sermon but it is really a messagefrom God to you all; messageto all
members, workers, minister, pastors of all churches and to the whole world.
This is a call to personalrevival; it is a spiritual call as a warming to everyone.
The messageform the lord is very dangerous to ignore because ignoring it will
lead to a devastating end.
"And he answeredand said unto them, I tell you that, if these should hold
their peace, the stones wouldimmediately cry out." {Luke 19:40}

230. The bible is saying here that; if you keepquiet, the stones will cry out
"And think not to say within yourselves, we have Abraham to our father: for I
say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto
Abraham." {Matt 3:9}
God is talking about stones here again in another scripture. He says;He will
raise stones up, as children.
There is this song we use to sing, in those days that now rings bell; Yoruba -
“Ebe mobe o Oluwa ma fi okota ropo mi”; English translation says;“I beg
you lord, do not use stone to replace me”.
{Isaiah 6:1-8}"In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting
upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple. Above it
stoodthe seraphims: eachone had six wings;with twain he coveredhis face,
and with twain he coveredhis feet, and with twain he did fly. And one cried
unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts:the whole earth
is full of his glory. And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that
cried, and the house was filled with smoke. Then said I, Woe is me! For I am
undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a
people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seenthe King, the Lord of hosts.
Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coalin his hand, which
he had takenwith the tongs from off the altar: And he laid it upon my mouth,
and said, lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and
thy sin purged. Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, whom shall I send,
and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me”
Verse 8 is the origin of the popular song:
Isaiahheard the voice of the lord and he says, here am I, send me
Here I am, Send Me
Anywhere for you

231. Isaiahheard the voice of the lord and he said, here am I, send me
Isaiahwas a prophet; Isaiah was working in the palace;Isaiah has been there
for year; what a fearful passage.Isaiahwas on ground but God was
announcing; who shall I send?
A man can be very busy working very hard, doing church activities yet God
will be asking, who shall I send?
Why God should be looking for someone else whenIsaiah was on ground.
Isaiahwas working very hard, prophesying and preaching; Isaiahwas
working like many ushers and choirs of today; many are even coming to the
house of Godwithout group of house fellowship; they just come hear the
message, getthe prayers, share the grace and they go away. Eachtime heaven
looks downand sees the position of Man, they cry out loud; who shall we
send; who will go for us.
Heaven sees the people on ground are not doing the work assignedto them;
how can a personwill occupiedwith a greatwork but not satisfying the cry of
heaven.
I Decree upon your life: Heaven will not regretover your life in the name of
Jesus.
Isaiahwas in the palace working but he did not know or see that his very
position has been advertisedin heaven;God was looking for somebodyelse.
When Moses died, it is normal for replacement, likewise, Elijah. When Judas,
God advertised his position; because Godwas not making profit; no concrete
advancement. Can you honestly answerthe question: Is heavenmaking profit
from your life? Have you become a liability to the angels of God?
Listen beloveth! Not every movement is advancement; you may be swinging
or rotating in one spot. Why should you be there and heaven will saythere is
nobody there; why should you decide to become history why you are still
living; why should you decide to be staledwhere you are proclaimed to be
fresh. The thing about God is this; God can go out of his way to allow you go
on; to support you; you want job, gives you, wife, He gives you, children, He

232. gives you, house, He gives you. Car, He gives you. Meanwhile, Godis quietly
looking for a perfect alternative and at the end of the day discards the person.
There is a mystery called replacementstone;when people engage in what is
called, guilty silence. You are not doing anything specific for God; not
representing heaven in the place God has put you; rejecting the call of God.
The command and the warning is loud and clear;that your failure to cry out
for you position and quickly change, will lead to replacement. If you don’t cry
out, then the stones will cry out.
I pray for you: You will not be replacedwith stones, in the name of Jesus.
The stones will cry out if you refuse to cry out. If the disciples of Jesus did not
cry out the stones would have cried out.
What does it mean to cry out?
1. To witness for Jesus without shame:As you are, how many people have
you witness Jesus to, in the last six months; either by you words or activities.
Some call themselves mfm member and they sleeparound; such people are
disgrace and embarrassmentto the church and Christianity. How can you not
preach to that man you surrender yourself to, to sleepwith you? This is why
people are being replaced. This is the messagefrom God! Know there you
stand. Witness for Jesus without Shame.
Illustration story
One sisterin this church said she met one boy and they started talking and
became friends. One day she decided, contrary to our teaching here, to visit
the brother in his house.
She said when she got there; the boy that claims he was born again, she was
coming from church; the boy was coming from church. Instead of the brother
asking;how was service today? Immediately she satdown, the first question

233. he askedwas, whatshe wanted to drink, she said, just water;he brought
water. The next thing the brother brought out was a condom; the person that
is visiting for the first time. The sisterquickly ran out; but some will not run,
they will not become a disgrace and embracementto heaven.
2. To publicly declare your stand: In some places I used to work in those
days; anytime we are going on a trip and I am the leader of the group, some
people grumble loudly. They say; what Daniel! That means on this trip, he
will not release money for us to take alcohol;they know my stand, what I
believe in. When the trumpet of your life is blowing an uncertain sound;
nobody knows if you are on the right or left. The bible says if you want to be
cold, be cold; want to be hot, be hot; don’t be hot-cold, not lukewarm. If you
want to be MFM person then be, if you don’t want, then don’t come here; go
to the places that you cando what you like. Here we prepare people for
heaven, to fulfil their destiny. MFM is not a fashion parade church, here we
don’t entertain; this is not an entertainment center.
3. To let your light shine before all men
4. To declare the lordship of the lord Jesus Christ:Anywhere you are, if they
have not nicknamed you; this one only knows Jesus, he has become “iya Jesu”
mother of Jesus;if they have not nicknamed you then you are not declaring
Jesus;not yet witnessing.
5. To Announce yourself on the lord side: To shout and Cry from your hear
to yourself that you are on the lord’s side.

234. 6. To Tell the world that you are a Christian
Failure to do this crying out would be writing a Korea letter to replacement
by stones. It is important to pray: “O Lord! Don’t replace me with Stone”
What are stones?
ü Stones are Unlikely people, who you never though would getborn-again; all
of a sudden, they gotborn-again; all of a sudden God filled them with Power.
They were formerly native doctors, now they have become preachers;you
claim you have been born-again since you were young; your father is a priest,
mother deaconess,bishop and so on, you will now be carry the bags of this
people. Why; because youwere not fervent as you should be, so they have
been replaced.
ü RejectedPeople:People that their past lives are been dirty and stinking; but
has rebranded them. The bible says;Eyes of God goes to and fro to know
whose hearts are pure; God is now using stones. Some will say; I was there,
when they started was with the mass choir; I was, I was;are all stories.
ü Stoney hearted people;People who originally hate the gospeland may even
be killing Christians. Eventually many will realize that, there is more to life
then fashion, make-up, sex, parties, making money.
ü Those written-off by the world: People that are thought to be useless;you
say this are thieves, robbers. That robber at the right hand of Jesus entered
into paradise;He calledJesus Lord! when others are saying crucify him; He
negotiatedhis salvationon that cross with Jesus.
ü People from the dunghill of life
ü Chronic unbelievers

235. ü Wickedpeople; you see witches and wizards drop their materials and
surrender their lives to Jesus.
Pray like this, where you are; My Father, do not replace me with stones in the
name of Jesus.
Have God placed you in a position his kingdom; in mountain of fire, guard it
well. There are thousands of people ready to take your place.
God said; if this one keeps quiet, this stone will cry out.
With this, I realized that, Support, popularity, fame, prosperity, expansion is
not a yardstick that you have divine approval.
Lessonfrom Wilderness Experience of Israelites
Go had decided and concluded that He was going to destroy those people that
said they were grasshoppers.He declare that, the generationwas a wasted
generationand He was going to waste them. There was a hanging judgment
on them. One would expectimmediately, this declaration was made, they will
die one by one, through hunger, diseases andso on but surprisingly, God gave
them waterfrom the ground, gave them meat, yet they were wasted. Godwas
doing all this to the people, He swore to destroy.
Couldn’t it be that all the sweat, successstory, breakthroughs, testimonies
that you have, could it be that it’s been reserve for you final wastage;because
God was blessing people who were under the sentence ofwastage.It is a
fearful thing to know that God is busy searching underground for you
replacement, It is a serious matter.
We all need to be carefully; the minister, leader, worker;If you decide you
drop your assignment, you will be amazed at the number of replacement
stones that will rush in to replace in.
Illustration story
In 1989, whenMfm newly started, we had one person playing the organ,
anytime he is upset, he walk off; one person with guitar; anytime he is upset,
he walk off.

236. I was telling them then; the greatestgift we have are opportunities. It is good
you keepthe opportunities you have, if you don’t, stones will come and
replace you. That was in those days, today, in this headquarters, we cancount
up to 11 to 12 organist.
You see people today; heaven places you in the prayer warrior team,
evangelismteam, you are busy saying; we started together;you need to be
careful so that the lord will not replace you with stones.
ReasonforReplacementby Stones
One quite reasonwhy God wants to replace many is due to their secretsins;
cleverly concealedsin.
Your sin is not a sleeping dog that should be left alone. Every sin requires a
constantmanufacture and reinforcement with any other sins. That cleverly
concealedsin is the root of so many other sins.
That secretsin is polluting your prayers; it is strengthening your enemies.
That secretsin is a signalto God that you are taking your internal issues of
heaven and heal casually. If you take this messagecasuallyyou will become a
casualty.
Illustration story:
A man murdered another person;but this personstruggled with him before
he killed the person. In the struggle one button of his coatfell down.
By the time the police came, he ran way and they didn’t know who killed this
person. Although he escapedbut for a long period of time, he was troubled; he
keeps think; the button, the button; no rest for him. When his heart could not
take it again, he went back to that place to find the button. As he was looking
for the button, the police came out and arrestedhim. They said, we saw the
button and we knew you would be back.

237. We have been keeping watchfor months; for the day you will come.
Every cleverly concealedsin;secretsin can make you to smell in the nostrils
of God.
Thank God Isaiahgot anotherchance. Isaiahwas able to identify the reason
his positionwas being advertised;it was unclean lips.
Just unclean lips made a prophet undone. Then consider many of us who do
not only have uncleanlips, but uncleanhands, uncleaneyes, unclean heart,
unclean hears, unclean legs.
Isaiahdid not fornicate, steal;it was only uncleanlips that made heaven to
advertise to replace him with stone.
Illustration story:
A man arrived heaven and found a giant notice board with advertisement.
3 of the adverts shockedhim; tree pastors of three different churches he knew
were wanted. He said; this people are still alive, why is the position advertised.
He was told this; these men are presentbut absent; they around but not
available;they are at church but not in church; that is why heaven is calling
for their replacement. What shocked this man is that; after this revelation,
one of these pastors fell into immorality and was dismissed;the second
contactedHIV and left the ministry, the third pastordied in an accident.
I pray: Heaven will not replace you, in the name of Jesus.
Symptoms of being in the garden of Replacementby Stones
1. Dry or no quite time: wake up in the morning, no bible no prayer; heaven
is calling for your replacementbecause you can’t continue like that.

238. 2. No fresh revelationfrom heaven: Instead of spiritual activities that will
make heaven give you revelations, you are busy with unproductive chats
3. Dry Bible study: Many can pray, but to sit down and study the Bible is a
problem. You do not attend Bible study in church; you are only interested in
prayers.
4. When sleep has overtakenyour prayers life.
5. When dreaming of Stealing your Bible in dream.
6. Failing in spiritual activity in the dream.
7. Nakedin the dream.
8. Going from meaningful dream to meaningless dream.
9. Going back to old sin: Go back to the old sins that you left before you got
born-again; the heave is calling for you replacement
10. Speaking powerlessand dry tongues.
11. Too busy to hear from God.
12. Level of Secrecyis very high.
Why did you stop those things you were doing for God? Who or What kept
you quite? Is your friends? Critics? Worldliness or poor time management?
You need to arise and repent; shake yourselfawayfrom this satanic vacation
the enemy is putting you; Jump out of the sinking ship to the savior boat. You
need to cancelyour travel ticket to the grave of nonexistence.
I wish to announce to you now, God its raising Stones;Stones are being raised
and they are waiting to fulfill divine purpose. Ever ready to replace you.
What Do You Do?

239. Make a U-turn.
Rediscoverthose things that made you the apple of God’s eye.
Go back to your first love with God.
You used to do soul lifting praise worship; you have stopped, go back.
You used to do fervent prayers; you have stopped, go back.
They used to call you mother of Jesus becauseofyour uncompromising stand
but you have now begun to compromise, repent.
All the worldly things you have left, one by one you are bringing them back.
This is a warning from heaven Stones are being raised and you would not be
able to bind, stop or castthem away.
Make up your mind; if your bible is dusty, blew the dust and start meditating
on it. This is a call to sit down and reevaluate your spiritual life. The bible in
your head is those, you have learnt when you were a child, no new ones.
v Genuinely Repent.
v Ask for Forgiveness andmercy.
v Ask of the grace ofa secondchance like Isaiah.
v Renew a lasting covenantwith God.
Remember the bible says; the stones which the builder rejectedhave become
the chief stone of the corner.
Illustration story
Many years ago whenwe were very young Christians, there was a crusade.
There is this brother that is very wickedand loose. He doesn'tcare about
anybody, smokes hemp; He mocks and despisedChristians. We did not know

240. we were looking at a stone. A man was invited to come and preach and this
wickedboy was present. When the man of God took the altar call, this boy
was the first person; he surrenders his life to Christ. That same day he gotthe
baptism of the Holy Spirit, started speaking in tongue and seeing vision.
The next day, He lockedhimself up, he started the bible from Genesis and
within 5 days, he read through. By the time he would come out, he was
another person. Before he eventually went to be with the lord, he raised36
persons from dead.
This was the same wickedbrother, goodfor nothing cult boy; now is praying
in tongues, praying for the dead people; all the people that have been born-
againfor years are now following this former-wickedboy and are calling him;
daddy ! Daddy! May Stones not Replace You!
The Stones Cry Out
οἱ λίθοι κράξουσιν (Luke 19:40)
Triassic ContinentalRift, Nova Scotia, Angular Unconformity Bryce Canyon,
Geologyand the Bible, Creation, FloodGeologyPetrified ForestNational
Park, FossilTrees
Home
A Matter of Extents
The Bible
Creation

241. The Fall/Curse
The Flood
FloodGeologyChallenges
The Creator
End Times Geology
Dinosaurs
Misconception:The Appearance of Age
References/Resources
About Me
Contact
Geologyand the Bible: Updated April 22, 2020
Mission:To help answerquestions about the Bible as it relates to science and
earth history and vice versa. If the God of the Bible createdthe world we live
in, then the Bible and our scientific findings should be in perfectagreement.
Such is the premise of this website. While we cannotknow all the answers, we
will here seek to bridge the often troubling gap betweenthe Bible and geology.
DevonianMarcellus Shale fossilbrachiopod and crinoid
Fossilbrachiopodand crinoid stems in a shale in the Appalachian Basin.
Fossils give us clues as to the history of the rocks in which they're found.
(Photo by author)

242. Grand Canyon geology
The Grand Canyon displays a sequence of rock layers that tells a story of its
history. Geologistscan"listen" to this story by carefully studying the layer's
rock type (lithology), mineralogy and fossilcontent. (Photo by author)
Why? Because todaythere is a perceivedwall betweensome Christians and
scientists, both of whom feelthe other side is blinded to the truth in the data
before them. Another potentially more dangerous wallexists within the
Christian community itself. It separates sincereChrist-loving people who
heatedly debate things such as the age of the earth and the geographicalextent
of Noah's Flood. It is my goalto provide information to help answersome of
these questions, clearup any misconceptions and start tearing down the
dividing walls. The material on this site will hopefully be useful for the
practicing scientist, the theologianand the layperson.
There are many other websites and organizations that touch on these subjects,
but I have found that many only scratchthe surface of God's Word, and most
do not have an adequate understanding of geologyin order to accurately
compare the two. All information on this site is free for reproduction,
distribution and use (unless specificallynoted) as long as the site is referenced.
**This site will constantly be updated. Please checkback periodicallyfor
more information and resources.
The Debate
I have found that the heatedand often demeaning dialogue betweenwell-
meaning individuals and groups usually concerns the interpretation of three

243. main events listed in the early chapters of the Book ofGenesis. Theseevents
are…
1.) Creation:What is the length of the Creation"Day"? Caneverything in
Creationbe categorizedinto the CreationDays? Do Genesis 1 and 2
contradict eachother? Can we reconstructthe physical world in the time of
Adam and Eve? What did God mean when He pronounced His creation
"very good" in Genesis 1:31? Exegeticalcommentaryon the biblical Creation
account(Genesis 1-2)(PDF).
2.) The Fall/Curse:Is all of Creation cursed? Was there pain and death
before the Fall? Are there consequences ofthe Fall still today? Are natural
events like volcanoes andearthquakes the result of the Curse? Exegetical
commentary on the biblical accountof the Fall/Curse (Genesis 3)(PDF).
3.) The Flood:What was the geographicalextent of Noah's Flood? Whatwas
the purpose of the Flood? Can a year-long globaldeluge really accountfor all
of the fossil-bearing rocks andmost of the geologicalformations around the
planet? Where does the Flood fit in relation to the geologiccolumn?
Exegeticalcommentaryon the biblical accountof the Flood (Genesis 6-8)
(PDF).
CarlsbadCaverns, FloodGeology, Geologyand the Bible, New Mexico,
Creation

244. CarlsbadCaverns in southeasternNew Mexico. Wasthis formation caused
by the Floodin Noah's day? Were the fossils in these rocks the result of
Adam's sin in the Garden of Eden? Many people would sayyes and go
againstthe grain of mainstream geology. Doesthe Bible truly teachthis? We
will explore this and other biblical geologyquestions on this site (photo by
author).
The disagreementstems from one’s opinion of just how much these three
events affectedthe natural world we live in, and thus it is a “Matterof
Extents”. Within the Christian community there are Young-Earth
Creationists (abbreviatedYECs throughout this site)and Old-Earth
Creationists (abbreviatedOECs throughout this site). MostYECs believe in a
Global Extent with regards to these events. Thatis, the Floodwas Earth-
covering, all Creationis cursed, and the Days in the Creationaccountinclude
everything that exists. MostOECs adhere to localextents such as, a local
Flood; a localizedCurse that did not affectthe whole Creation; and a
Creationaccountthat was intended only to give a brief list of relevant created
things. Basedon how one feels as to the extents of these events, arguments
undoubtedly arise as to the age of the earth, the history of the physical laws of
nature and the reliability of the geologicrecord.
My goalon this site is to let the biblical text speak for itself when it directly
and indirectly addresses these issuesin order to hopefully arrive at an answer.
Along the way I hope to clearup a few misconceptions that have crept in, such
as belief in an old earth is synonymous with a belief in biologicalevolution,
and that the earth merely has an "appearance ofage". We willalso see if
there are any theologicalimplications in adhering to an old-earth versus a
young-earth view. To help you out with your beliefs regarding these events, I

245. have prepared a Bible & Science Testwith35 questions relevant to the
discussions onthis site. I have placed my answers in the About Me page so
that no one is unclear as to my views.
In addition, I offer exegeticalcommentarieson most of the science-related
passagesin the Bible. The other passagesoutside of Genesis willbe helpful in
our understanding of the early chapters of the Bible.
The Bible
Codex Sinaiticus;Galatians 5:10-Ephesians 1:9 (CSNTM)CodexSinaiticus:
The oldestvirtually complete Bible available today, dating from the 4th
century AD. This image shows Galatians 5:10 to Ephesians 1:9. Note the
"Fruit of the Spirit" are written on separate lines in the first column as
opposedto the standard 12 letters per line (image courtesyof the Centerfor
the Study of New TestamentManuscripts (CSNTM)).
Perhaps you’re wondering why we even try to harmonize the Bible with
geologicand other scientific observations. After all, wasn’t the Bible just
written by a bunch of shepherds and nomads a couple of thousand years ago
and is full of myths about origins and floods? Well, the Bible says of itself that
it is theopneustos (a Greek wordthat literally means 'God-breathed' (2Tim.
3:16)). If there is a God, and this self declarationis true, then there must
absolutely be a 100%agreementbetweenthe Bible and our scientific
observations. That’s not to say that the Bible is an all-inclusive science
textbook, but there canbe no contradiction betweenthe two. If there are

246. contradictions, then it must be a result of an interpretation. To be sure, there
are scientific interpretations and biblical interpretations. Human beings
make them both so, as a result, both have the possibility of error. We must be
honest in saying that the Bible NEVER claims the earth is only 6,000 years
old. We also must be honestin saying the Bible NEVER claims that all of the
geologicalformations were laid down during Noah's Flood. Many people hold
those views, but it is important to realize that those are interpretations based
on reading the text. This site attempts to challenge all views to see which are
validated by the biblical and geologicdata.
If you are unsure of just what is in the Bible or what it’s all about…orif you
just want a refresher, please check outmy ChronologicalWalk Throughthe
Bible and the timeline version of that walkthrough. Unlike other walk-
throughs, this generallyputs the events of the Bible in order as they unfold
historically. This is a goodway to understand the biblical accounts in context
and canbe very effective in grasping the big picture of Scripture.
Aleppo Codex, 10th Century AD, DeuteronomyPassagein Deuteronomy in the
Aleppo Codex(10th Century AD). Before the discoveryof the DeadSea
scrolls, this was one of the earliestHebrew Old Testamentmanuscripts (image
from Wikipedia).
Also, it will be important to remember that the Bible was not written in
English. The Old Testamentwas written in ancient Hebrew, and some parts
were written in Aramaic. The New Testamentwas written in the common

247. world language of 2000 years ago whichwas koine Greek. The English
translation of the Bible is a very interesting study in itself but is beyond our
scope here. We are in a time where new English versions appear almost
annually so it’s important to understand which are the good ones, which cater
to specialinterests, and which are just paraphrases that sometimes lose the
original wording. I have done an English Version Comparisonof some of the
New Testamenttranslations and have found that the New American Standard
(NASB), New King James (NKJV) and English Standard Versions (ESV)
appear to be the best 21st Century renderings of the original language into
English. Fortext-critical reasons, Iprefer the NASB and ESV over the NKJV
and will use them frequently on this site. The original texts I will use are the
Nestle-Aland27th edition (NA27) for the New Testamentand the Biblia
Hebraica Stuttgartensia (BHS) and Septuagint (LXX) for the Old Testament.
The Lexicons used here are the TheologicalWordbook ofthe Old Testament
(TWOT)and Brown-Driver-Briggs (BDB)for the Old Testamentand the
TheologicalDictionaryof the New Testament(TDNT)for the New Testament.
For much more information and resources regarding the Bible, please see the
Bible and the References&Resourcespagesonthis site.
While the Bible was and is not meant to be a science textbook, it certainly does
contain a wealthof information on the subject. Please seethe
Creation/SciencePassagespage fora list of relevant passagesin Scripture
along with the exegeticalcommentaries. Itis crucialto understand that we
must read the passagein context and make observations before we can
properly interpret the passage. Muchthe same way as in science,faulty and
contradictory interpretations of Scripture are often achievedby skipping or
rushing through this observationphase of reading and analyzing the text. The
exegeticalcommentarieson this site spend a greatdeal of time in this very
important step. Only after this is done can we hope to truly understand what
God's Word says about scientific interests and, in particular, the field of
geology.

248. Geology
Geologyis informally calledthe "study of the earth". It is derived from the
Greek words ge (earth) and logos (logic orreason). The geologisttherefore is
to apply logic and reasonin his or her attempt to figure out how the earth
works. A geologistmay study many various branches within the science
including economic geology(mining or oil and gas exploration), engineering
geology(determining the stability of the earth at constructionsites),
environmental geology(assessing the damage of and remediating hazardous
spills) and others. Regardlessofthe discipline they choose to follow, the
professionalgeologistis basically trained the same in their early schooling.
All must take courses onphysical geology(introductory concepts), historical
geology(how the earth has changedover time), structural geology(how rocks
deform and mountains are built), sedimentary geology/stratigraphy(how
rocks were depositedin various environments), mineralogy (what rocks are
made of), petrology (how different rocks are formed) and paleontology(study
of ancient life and the fossilrecord). These introductory courses give the
geologystudent a backgroundwith which to take into their more specialized
training. Throughout their training, the student is instructed to always apply
the scientific method to their research. Thatbasicallyfollows this order:
observation, develop multiple working hypotheses, testthe hypotheses, come
up with the best interpretation of the data.
William Smith Geologic Mapof Britain 1815

249. Geologicmap of Britain made by William Smith in the year 1815. These
maps were made from carefulobservations and notes on rock types and fossil
assemblages inthe field. It is noteworthy that many of these geologic
correlations and maps were made well before Darwin's concepts ofnatural
selectionand biologicalevolution were published (image from Wikipedia).
The development of the science ofgeologyis an interesting study, but is
beyond the scope of this site. Fora goodreference on this, I would defer you
to Davis Young's 2008 book, "The Bible, Rocksand Time." Fornow, it will
suffice to saythat serious academic study of the earth and its processeshas
been ongoing over the last four centuries. Early on, geologists would place
their observations into the biblical accounts ofCreationand the Floodwhile
adhering to a Young-Earth time scale ofonly 6,000 years. Lateron in the
18th and early 19th centuries, some geologists begannoticing that there was
significant evidence that the earth was potentially much older. There
appearedto be much evidence againstall the fossil-bearing strata being laid
down in a year-long globalFlood as well (examples of similar evidence is given
on the FloodGeologyChallengespage). Theybeganto notice that the rock
strata could be correlatedbasedon its fossilcontent and lithology (rock type),
and that these correlations couldbe made over large areas. Basedonthese
correlations and some basic principles, such as Superposition(that the rocks
on the bottom are older than the rocks on top) and Original Horizontality
(that the rocks were notoriginally depositedat any angle, but generallyflat),
they were able to start a geologictime scale ofthe earth. It is very important
to note that these observations, correlations, and the development of the
geologictime scale allbegan and were fairly well establishedbefore 1859
when Charles Darwin wrote his "Origin of Species"book outlining the
concepts ofnatural selectionand biologicalevolution. It is therefore an
inescapable factthat deep time (millions and billions of years)and biological
evolution are two independent concepts. There is ABSOLUTELY NO

250. REASON to link the idea of "millions of years" with evolution. This is a
common misconceptionthat I hope to debunk on this site.
GeologicTime Chart, Geologic Column, Geologic Time Scale
Geologictime chart showing the time periods in earth history. The rocks
depositedin these periods canbe correlatedwith confidence from one place to
another, sometimes overgreatdistances basedon their rock type,
characteristics, andfossilassemblages.
When done correctly according to the scientific method, geologywilllead one
to the truth about how the earth works and what processeswere atwork in
the pastto shape the earth as we see it today. While we cannotbe certain
about the events of earth history, the rocks themselves bearwitness that many
of the processeswe see todayhave indeed happened at times in the past.
Careful study of rock outcrops often reveals similar characteristicsto those
we find in modern environments of deposition such as river systems, beaches,
deserts, coralreefs, deepmarine settings, etc... Some ofthese characteristics
include sediment type, grain size, grain sorting, mineralogy, bed morphology
and fossilassemblages. It is just these types of observations and comparisons
that lead geologiststo their interpretations of earth history. And it is just
these types of observations that have led geologiststo the successfuldiscovery
of billions of barrels of oil in some of the remotestplaces on the planet and
buried miles beneath the surface. If the geologicrecorddid not display this
kind of order and predictability, geoscientistsin the oil industry would not be

251. nearly as successfulas they are. Also, it would be impossible to constructa
geologiccolumn or time chart if the rock recordwas chaotic and had no
degree of repeatability or correlation. As it is, the geologic columnis a
tremendously valuable toolwith which a geologistcancorrelate rock units
from one locationto another with a gooddeal of confidence. Any model of
earth history therefore must accountfor this order and consistency.
It has been said before that there is nowhere on earth where this entire
geologiccolumn exists. This is simply not true. Rocks representing every
period on the time chart above are found in many basins around the world.
One example is the Ghadames Basinin Libya where pre-Cambrian
metamorphic rocks underlie the complete succession. The misconceptionthat
the geologic columnis only found in textbooks comes from a
misunderstanding of geologyand the processesthat have actedin earth's past.
Before one can truly assess the geologicevidence, a basic understanding of the
science is necessary. Pleasesee the Geologypage on this site (COMING
SOON)or www.geology.comforfundamental geologicinformation and
concepts.
It is not necessaryto have an advanceddegree in geologyin order to
understand how observations ofthe earth, both presently and in the rock
record, affectthe model for earth history. If the earth is young, say on the
order of thousands of years, then the evidence of our observations should
clearly point to that conclusion. Conversely, if the earth is much older,
possibly billions of years, then the evidence should clearly point in that
direction.
As stated above, if the God of the Bible created the heavens and the earth as in
Genesis 1:1, then the study of God's Word and God's Creationshould result
in the same interpretation. The two sources should not contradict, but rather

252. compliment. Please keepthis in mind as you read through the pages onthis
site. I recommend going through them in the order given to the right.
http://www.thestonescryout.com/
I’m Joni EarecksonTada. I love driving to the mountains to see beautiful
rocks. Rightnear the Sierras, there are some beautiful big red rock
formations, the kind you canhike on. You know, I believe God has a thing
about rocks. In Luke 19, Jesus talkedabout rocks whenHe was with a crowd
of people who were shouting praise to Him. This really bugged the Pharisees,
so they told Jesus to make the people stop. But Jesus told them, “If these
people keepsilent, then the very stones will cry out.” I don’t think the Lord
was using a figure of speech, becauseif the wind and waves obeyedHim, you
better believe the rocks wouldobey Him, too. One day the rocks will have a
part in praising the Lord and in the meantime, their beauty and colorspeak
loudly about the glory of their Creator. So today, let’s not allow rocks to have
all the fun; let’s geta head start on them and join in the chorus of praise.
WHY WOULD THE BIBLE SAY THE STONESCRYOUT?
Last Updated on January 3rd, 2020
Stones Cry Out in My Place
“I tell you,” he replied, “if they keepquiet, the stones will cry out.”
– Luke 19:40

253. The Triumphal Entry
Here is the scene. Passoverwas aboutto begin, and the crowds were
descending upon Jerusalemto celebrate and give their sacrifice. Jesus was
among the crowd… There He is riding on a donkey. The people start to make
way for Him. They are not only creating a path, but they also throw down
palm branches and their outer garments. In joyous celebrationthey shout out
their praises:“Hosanna!Blessedis he who comes in the name of the Lord!”
Today is Palm Sunday where we remember this scene. RecentlyI was
rereading this Bible passage afreshand verse 40 jumped out at me. We,
Christians, love this verse. It’s a motivational verse that gives voice to our
praise, gives a verse for our song. “The rocks are not going to shout on my
watch.”
Would the Stones Have ReallyHad Cried Out?
Did Jesus reallymean this? Would the rocks have really had cried out? Some
have insinuated that Jesus was striking a contrastbetween the rocks and the
hardness of the Pharisees’hearts. I guess He could have meant that, but I also
believe that the stones would have really cried out.
I believe that there was more going on than just that stones were aboutto
burst forth in praise. I mean, why were the rocks about to cry out? Is that just
an everyday thing for stones to do? This is what stoodout to me. Something
extraordinary was going on. The king was about to be revealed, and all of
creationwas preparing to worship Him.
There Is A Way I Want You To Respond

254. Here is what I believe God was saying:there is a wayI want you to respond to
me. It is not always the same. Look to see what I am doing and respond
accordingly.
The Pharisees gotit wrong; the children got it right. How canwe getit right?
Things of the Spirit Are Looking for Expressionin the Natural
I believe the spiritual realm is bursting with emotion. There are things going
on in the spirit that are looking for expressionin the natural. That day of
Jesus’entry, the spiritual realm was celebrating. And Jesus’words meant,
there is a celebrationgoing on in the spirit that if it doesn’t find expressionin
these cheers, the rocks themselves will cry out.
As we join into what is going on in the spirit, we release whatheaven wants to
do on earth. O God, open our eyes to the spiritual realities going on around
us. May we tap into heaven’s plans and find a natural flow in things of the
Spirit.
Turn your ear
To Heaven and hear
The noise inside
The sound of angels awe
The sound of angels’songs
And all this for a King
We could join and sing
‘All to Christ our King!’

255. O PRAISE HIM (ALL THIS FOR A KING)
https://prayer-coach.com/stones-cry-out/
The Rocks WillCry Out!
Click here for more Eastermessages.
Click here to return to the Sermons page.
Luke 19:37-40 (Palm Sunday)
INTRODUCTION:Today is Palm Sunday, and we are celebrating Jesus’
triumphal entry into Jerusalem. There are many things we could focus on in
this message. We couldtalk about the palm branches or the donkey. We could
talk about the Mount of Olives or the significance ofJesus entering Jerusalem
from the east. We could talk about Jesus driving out the money changers and
cleansing the temple the next day.
But today I want to focus on something we don’t often think about on Palm
Sunday. I want us to focus on the rocks. That’s right, the rocks. Now you
might wonder, what in the world do a bunch of rocks have to do with Palm
Sunday? Let’s find out. (Read Luke 19:37-40 and pray.)
—————————

256. So, did you spot the rocks in the passage?Theyshow up right at the end of the
passage. Whenthe PhariseestellJesus to rebuke his disciples, Jesus replies, “I
tell you, if they keepquiet, the stones will cry out.” (Luke 19:40) Now that
would be quite a sight, wouldn’t it? How would you like to see the rocks cry
out? I think it would be really cool.
But as much as I would like to see the rocks cry out, according to our passage
today, that would not be a goodthing. Becauseit would mean that we are not
doing our job in giving God his rightful praise.
There are three things I want us to learn from this passagetoday, and all
three relate to this mysterious saying from Jesus aboutthe rocks crying out. 1)
God is worthy of loud and joyful praise. 2) Our praise should focus on the
person and work of Jesus. 3)God must and will be praised through Jesus
Christ.
I. God is worthy of loud and joyful praise (37)
First of all, God is worthy of loud and joyful praise. Look at verse 37 with me:
“When he came near the place where the road goes downthe Mount of Olives,
the whole crowdof disciples beganjoyfully to praise God in loud voices for all
the miracles they had seen.” (Luke 19:37)
It’s Passoverweek. Jesusis on the donkey and headedinto Jerusalem. The
crowds have gathered, and the atmosphere is electric. Everyone’s emotions
are tuned to a high pitch fever of excitement. The crowds welcoming Jesus
have not only heard about his miracles. They are eyewitnesses.Theyhave seen
things that no one in history has ever seenbefore. And so, as Jesus approaches

257. Jerusalem, the whole crowd of disciples begin joyfully to praise God in loud
voices for all the miracles they have seen. Godis not only worthy of praise.
God is worthy of loud and joyful praise.
A. God createdall things for his glory (Revelation4:11)
Now there are many reasons why God is worthy of such praise, but the
primary reasonwe are given in Scripture is that God createdall things for his
glory. We read in Revelation4:11: “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to
receive glory and honor and power, for you createdall things, and by your
will they were createdand have their being.” (Revelation4:11)
God is the Creator. He is before all things. All things were createdby him,
and there is nothing, absolutelynothing, without him. The whole reasonwe
have a world, the whole reasonwe have a universe, life, breath and being is
because Godchose to create. By God’s will all things were createdand have
their being. In other words, you’ve got nothing without God. Therefore, God
is worthy of all glory and honor and praise. God createdall things for his
glory.
B. Our greatestjoyis found in praising him (Psalm100:1-3)
Not only that, but our greatestjoy is found in praising him. We read in Psalm
100:“Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with
gladness;come before him with joyful songs. Know that the Lord is God. It is
he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.”
(Psalm 100:1-3)

258. The very first instruction in Psalm100 is to shout for joy to the Lord. That
sounds like loud and joyful praise to me! We not only worship the Lord, we
worship the Lord with gladness. We come before him with joyful songs. Why?
Becausehe is God, and he is the Creator. He made us, and we belong to him.
We are his people. We are the sheepof his pasture. Our greatestjoy is found
in praising him.
JonathanEdwards put it this way: “The happiness of the creature consists in
rejoicing in God, by which also God is magnified and exalted.” (Jonathan
Edwards, The End for Which God Createdthe World, Chapter I, SectionIII)
In other words, God’s praise and your joy go together. You will never truly be
happy until you are giving God his rightful praise. And you can never truly
praise God without being happy.
God createdall things for his glory. Our greatestjoy is found in praising him.
Therefore, Godis worthy of loud and joyful praise, just like the crowds
offered to God as Jesus approachedJerusalemonthat first Palm Sunday.
That’s our first point this morning. God is worthy of loud and joyful praise.
II. Our praise should focus on the person and work of Jesus (38)
Secondly, our praise should focus on the personand work of Jesus. Backto
our passagein Luke 19 now, listen to what the crowds shouted about Jesus in
verse 38: “Blessedis the king who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Peacein
heaven and glory in the highest!” (Luke 19:38) As the crowds offeredup their
loud and joyful praise to God, notice how they focusedon Jesus. Luke records
two specific statements they made about Jesus. And when you take these
statements and compare them with other Scriptures, we see that these
statements focus on the personand work of Jesus – who Jesus is, and what he
did for us.

259. A. Jesus is the king who comes in the name of the Lord (Psalm 118:24-26)
First of all, the person of Jesus – who Jesus is. Jesus is the king who comes in
the name of the Lord. This first shout of praise comes from Psalm118 where
we read: “This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.
O Lord, save us; O Lord, grant us success. Blessedis he who comes in the
name of the Lord.” (Psalm 118:24-26)
Notice the theme of joy that heads up these verses in Psalm118, a joy that
rests once againin God as Creator. “This is the day the Lord has made; let us
rejoice and be glad in it!” Notice the cry for salvationembedded in the middle.
“O Lord, save us; O Lord, grant us success.”The word translated, “Save us!”
there is the same as the Hebrew word “Hosanna!” that the people cried out on
Palm Sunday. That’s what hosanna means – “Lord, save us!” And then comes
the part of the verse that the people applied directly to Jesus on that first
Palm Sunday. “Blessedis he who comes in the name of the Lord.”
But notice how they have also changedthis slightly to say, “Blessedis the king
who comes in the name of the Lord!” (Luke 19:38) Why the change? The
people in Jerusalemare acknowledging Jesus as the Messiah, the long-awaited
Savior whom God promised he would send so long ago.
They don’t know everything about the Messiahyet. They don’t understand
that Jesus is not only the Messiahbut the very Son of God. They don’t
understand that Jesus came not only to be king over Israel, but King over all
the earth. They don’t understand that Jesus came not as a political saviorbut
rather to save his people from sin. They don’t understand any of that yet. But
they do recognize that he is the Messiah, the Savior, the PromisedOne. And

260. so, they joyfully echo the words of Psalm118:“Blessedis the king who comes
in the name of the Lord!”
B. Jesus’death brings peace in heavenand earth (Luke 2:14; Revelation
5:9,12)
God is worthy of loud and joyful praise, and our praise should focus on the
person and work of Jesus. Jesusis the king who comes in the name of the
Lord. That’s the person of Jesus, who he is. And Jesus’deathbrings peace in
heaven and earth. That’s the work of Jesus, whathe did for us.
Back to Luke 19:38, look at the secondphrase the people cry out.: “Peace in
heaven and glory in the highest!” (Luke 19:38) This secondphrase echoes the
song the angels sang atChrist’s birth. Look at these verses next to eachother:
• The angels’song at Christ’s birth: “Glory to God in the highest, and on
earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.” (Luke 2:14)
• The people’s declarationat his entry into Jerusalem:“Peacein heaven and
glory in the highest!” (Luke 19:38)
At Jesus’birth the angels criedout, “Peaceonearth!” On Palm Sunday the
people cried out “Peacein heaven!” Both are wondrously true.
Did the people even realize the significance ofwhat they were saying?
Probably not. But God in his sovereigntyknew that Jesus’entry into
Jerusalemwould result in his dying on the cross for sin. And Jesus’sacrificial

261. death would bring peace in heavenand earth, peace betweenGodand man
for all who would put their faith in Christ.
We read this beautiful song of praise to Jesus in Revelation5: “You are
worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, becauseyouwere slain, and
with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language
and people and nation…. Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive
powerand wealth and wisdomand strength and honor and glory and praise!”
(Revelation5:9,12)
This is the song of praise that we will sing throughout all of eternity. “Worthy
is the Lamb” – there’s the personof Christ; “who was slain” – there’s the
work of Christ. Throughout all of eternity we will sing praise to Jesus, the
Lamb of God, who takes awaythe sin of the world. He was slain for your sins
and mine, and with his blood he purchased men and women for God from
every tribe language and people and nation. “Worthy is the Lamb, who was
slain, to receive powerand wealthand wisdom and strength and honor and
glory and praise!”
Jesus is the Son of God. He is the king who comes in the name of the Lord.
Jesus’death brings peace in heavenand earth. Our praise should focus on the
person and work of Jesus Christ.
III. God must and will be praised through Jesus Christ (39-40)
– see also Habakkuk 2:11-12
So those are the first two things we learn from our passagethis morning. 1)
God is worthy of loud and joyful praise. 2) Our praise should focus on the
person and work of Jesus. And finally, 3) God must and will be praised

262. through Jesus Christ. Back to Luke 19 now, look at verses 39-40:Some of the
Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples!” 40 “I
tell you,” he replied, “if they keepquiet, the stones will cry out.” (Luke 19:39-
40)
And so, we learn that not everyone along the road to Jerusalemwas happy on
Palm Sunday. The Phariseeshearthe people proclaiming Jesus as Messiah,
and so they tell Jesus:“Teacher, rebuke your disciples!” (Luke 19:39)
And you know what? Any goodteacherwho was not the Messiahwouldhave
rebuked the disciples right then and there. But Jesus did not rebuke them,
because he was the Messiah. He is the Christ, the Son of the Living God. In
fact, rather than rebuking the people, he actually affirmed their praise
instead. “I tell you,” he replied, “if they keepquiet, the stones will cry out.”
(Luke 19:40)
I love that phrase. It is wonderfully ambiguous, and yet at the same time such
a clearaffirmation that Jesus acceptedthe people’s praise of him as Messiah.
So, what did Jesus meanthat the stones would cry out? There are several
possible interpretations.
1) One interpretation is that Jesus is saying it is just as impossible for the
disciples to keepquiet as it would be for the stones to cry out. The Messiahis
here. How canthey not rejoice?
2) A secondinterpretation would be that Jesus is worthy of praise, and if we
do not give it to him, God will find some other means, even if it means making
the stones cry out his praises instead.

263. 3) A third interpretation sees the stones crying out not in praise but rather in
judgment of those who do evil. We find parallels to this in the Old Testament,
for example in Habakkuk 2 where we read: “The stones ofthe wall will cry
out, and the beams of the woodwork willecho it. ‘Woe to him who builds a
city with bloodshedand establishes a town by crime!’” (Habakkuk 2:11-12)In
this interpretation the stones would be crying out in condemnationof either
the disciples who withhold their praises or perhaps the Pharisees who seek to
silence them.
I like the secondof these interpretations best, that if the disciples remain
silent, the stones will cry out the praises of Jesus instead. But whicheverJesus
meant, it is clearthat he affirms the peoples’praises over the Pharisees’
objections. Godis going to be praised one wayor another. And if we keep
quiet, the rocks will cry out.
A. God will not give his glory to another (Isaiah42:8)
This saying of Jesus is remarkable for a number of reasons. Firstof all, the
Bible tells us that God will not give his glory to another. We read in Isaiah
42:8: “I am the Lord; that is my name! I will not give my glory to another.”
(Isaiah 42:8) God’s glory belongs to him alone, and he does not share or give
his glory to anyone else.
B. Jesus shares God’s glory;therefore, he is God (John 17:1-5)
And yet, the Bible also teaches us that Jesus shares God’s glory. The night
before Jesus went to the cross, he prayed a prayer to God in the presence of
his disciples. Hearthe opening words of this prayer in John 17. Jesus prayed,
“Father, the time has come. Glorify your Son, that your Sonmay glorify you.

264. For you granted him authority overall people that he might give eternallife
to all those you have given him. Now this is eternal life: that they may know
you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. I have brought
you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do. And now,
Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the
world began.” (John 17:1-5)
Now remember, God will not give his glory to another. And yet here we see
that Jesus shares God’s glory. The conclusionis unmistakable. If Jesus shares
God’s glory, then Jesus is God.
C. Every knee will bow and tongue confess that Jesus is Lord (Philippians
2:9-11)
The New Testamentconfirms this in many other places, but perhaps one of
the clearestis in Philippians 2 where we read this about Jesus:“Therefore
God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above
every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and
on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess thatJesus Christ is
Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2:9-11)
CONCLUSION:So, what does all this mean? Exactly what we’ve just been
talking about throughout the whole passage.
God is worthy of loud and joyful praise. He createdall things for his glory,
and our greatestjoy is found in praising him.

265. Our praise should focus on the person and work of Jesus. Jesusis the Sonof
God, the king who comes in the name of the Lord. That’s the person of Jesus.
Jesus’death brings peace in heavenand earth. That’s the work that Jesus
came to do.
God must and will be praised through Jesus Christ. God will not give his glory
to another. Jesus shares God’s glory;therefore, he is God. One day every knee
will bow and tongue confess that Jesus is Lord.
But we shouldn’t wait until the day when every knee will finally bow before
the Lord. Let us give God his rightful praise through Jesus Christ right now.
Becauseif we don’t, the rocks will cry out.
© RayFowler
You are permitted and encouragedto reproduce and distribute this message
provided that you do not alter the wording in any way and that you do not
charge a fee beyond the costof reproduction. Forany web postings, please
link to the sermondirectly at this website.
Please include the following statement on any distributed copies:
By Ray Fowler. © Ray Fowler. Website: http://www.rayfowler.org
Shout with the Stones

266. Luke 19:37-40
Other listening options or try the podcastat iTunes (You will be leaving our
website.)
Grace and peace to you from God our Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus
Christ. Amen. The words of Scripture through which the Holy Spirit shows us
Jesus today is Luke 19
As Jesus now approachedthe descentfrom the Mount of Olives, the whole
crowdof disciples rejoicing beganto praise God with loud voices for all the
miracles they had seen:“Blessedis the King, who comes in the name of the
Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”
Some of the Pharisees fromthe crowd saidto him, “Teacher, rebuke your
disciples.”
He answered, “I tell you, if they would become silent, the stones will shout.”
(Luke 19:37-40).
This is the word of our Lord.
Dearfriends in Christ, fellow saints washedcleanin the blood of our risen
Savior:
You know well, dear friends, the events of that first Palm Sunday. Jesus rides
to Jerusalemon a donkey. The crowds honor him. They take palm branches
and go out to meet him. They lay their cloaks in the road to honor him. They

267. shout “Hosanna!” which means “Please, save!” “Blessedis he who comes in
the name of the Lord.”
You know well that Jesus does this to fulfill the prophecy recordedby
Zechariah: “See, your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation,
gentle and riding on a donkey” (Zechariah 9:9 NIV84). Jesus is the King who
came to save.
And you know well how Jesus wouldaccomplishthat. He came to Jerusalem
to die, to die for all sinners, including you and me. He came to carry our sins
to the cross. He came to take our place under God's wrath and punishment.
He came to suffer our God-forsakenhell instead of us and satisfy divine
justice for us. He came to save you.
You know all this well. So how are you going to respond?
As we think about that question, let's ponder the words Jesus speaksatthe
end of the text: “I tell you ... if they keepquiet, the stones will cry out” (Luke
19:40 NIV). What is Jesus talking about? And how does this relate to our
response?
A. What are these stones?
Some think that Jesus was talking about the destruction of Jerusalemthat was
coming. In other words, when the people of Jerusalemstoppedpraising him,
not one stone would be left on another. In this way the stones would cry out in
judgment againsttheir unbelief.

268. Now there is nothing unbiblical about that explanation. From the Bible we
know that Jerusalemrejectedthe Gospelof Jesus, persecuting the Apostles.
From history we know that Jerusalemwas destroyedby the Romans in AD
70.
But might there be a better explanation to these words? Considerthe
immediate context. The people have been praising Jesus, honoring him,
glorifying him. Those are the kind of words that have been shouted out and
cried out. So when Jesus talks about the stones crying out, might he not mean
the same kind of words? That is, if the people don't praise him, the stones
certainly will. ForJesus will surely be praised.
Let's think about that explanation. To whom did Jesus speak these words
about the stones crying out? He spoke them to the Pharisees. And what kind
of people would the Pharisees considerto be stones?
Maybe we would think first of how the Pharisees lookeddown on the tax
collectors,prostitutes, and other so-calledbad sinners among their fellow
Jews. They'dprobably count them as stones. Even more so, think about how
the Phariseesfelt about the non-Jews, the Gentiles. They were outside of
God's people. They were as spiritually dead as stones.
So Jesus is making it clearto these Pharisees thatif they refuse to praise him
as the Savior-king, others, whom they considerstone-dead, will become living
stones crying out and shouting the Savior's praise.
If you think about it, this is very similar to the language that John the Baptist
used when he confrontedthe Pharisees.“Do notthink you can say to

269. yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ I tell you that out of these
stones Godcan raise up children for Abraham” (Matthew 3:9 NIV84).
And isn't that what the Lord has done for you and me? He took us non-Jews,
us Gentiles, who were dead in sin, stone-dead. In Baptism he made you alive,
spiritually alive. Through the prophet Ezekielthe Lord says, “Iwill give you a
new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of
stone and give you a heart of flesh” (Ezekiel36:26 NIV84) -- a living, beating
heart that's spiritually alive. Through Baptism we were reborn into God's
family and became one of his people. We, who were not the physical children
of Abraham, became his spiritual children through faith in Jesus. The Apostle
Peterwrites, “You also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house
to be a royal priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God
through Jesus Christ ... Once you were not a people, but now you are the
people of God” (1 Peter2:5, 10 NIV84).
So, dear Christian, hear Jesus'words about the stones crying out and see
yourself as one of those stones. He road into Jerusalemto make you alive
before God. That's why he went to the cross. That's why he suffered and died.
That's why he rose from the dead on Easter. To make stones, like what you
and I once were, alive, spiritually alive.
B. How do we shout out?
What's our response? If we respond like the Pharisees andremain quiet,
refusing to praise Jesus, we will become dead stones again. Jesus willtake his
Gospelawayfrom us and give it to others. For Jesus will be praised. If not by
us, than by others.
So what's our response?How do we shout out as living stones? That's the
secondquestion. A few verses after the Apostle Petercalled us living stones, he

270. writes, “You are a chosenpeople, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people
belong to God, that you may declare the praises of him who calledyou out of
darkness into his wonderful light” (1 Peter2:9 NIV84). And that's what we
see the people doing on Palm Sunday, isn't it?
Listen again to their words of praise recordedby Luke. “Blessedis the king
who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest”
(Luke 19:38 NIV84).
How can we respond to Jesus and shout out with praise? For you see, dear
friends, praise is much more than singing of few songs on a Sunday morning.
It's the way we live our life eachday. In what ways does your life praise
Jesus?
“Blessedis the king who comes in the name of the Lord!” (Luke 19:38 NIV84),
the people shouted. How canour lives shout out that Jesus is our King? Here
are some thoughts to consider. Since Jesus is our King, we want him to reign
in our hearts as our dearesttreasure. For he is our Lord who has redeemed us
to be his own, ransoming us with his blood. He is our King who rules overall
for the goodof us, his people. So, when we are faced with choices in life, we
ask ourselves:“Which choices clearlyshow that Jesus is more important to
me than anyone or anything else? Whichchoices show that I am trusting him
to reign over all for my eternalgood?” There may be severalchoices thatdo
those things. Often there's more than one right choice in the decisions we
make. But these are thoughts we want to be thinking through and praying
about. So ask yourself: “How canI show that Jesus is my King, reigning over
all my decisions and choices?” Whata way to respond and shout out praise to
Jesus!

271. The people shouted “Peacein heaven” (Luke 19:38 NIV84). What goodnews!
We were rebels. We were enemies of God. We were hostile sinners. But in
Jesus we have peace evenbefore the holy God in heaven. For through his
death, Jesus reconciledyou to God. He became sin for us and freely gave us
his righteousness. Whatpeace through Jesus!
How can our lives reflect that peace? Do yousee how having peace with God
enables us to live at peace with one another in ways unbelievers cannot? Since
we have peace with God, we know that he's taking care of us. Just think about
this: While we were still his enemies, he reconciledus by not sparing his own
son. How much more now that we are reconciledto him, won't he take care of
us? So we don't have to selfishly be looking out for our own interests at strife
with others because they might take advantage ofus. We have peace with God
because our sins are forgiven. We don't need to keepa recordof wrongs when
others sin againstus. Ratherforgive, even as God has forgiven you. And
where there is forgiveness, there's peace. Whata way to praise our Savior who
came gentle and riding on a donkey to bring us peace!Respondin praise by
living in gentle peace with others.
Finally, the people shouted, “Glory in the highest!” (Luke 19:38 NIV84). All
glory goes to God. That's why, dear Christians, we canhumbly serve each
other. We are not in it for our glory. As you serve your family, your church,
your employer, your community, your country, we don't do it for the honor,
the thank-yous, the rewards. We do it first and foremostfor our Savior. For
look at how he humbled himself, even to death on a cross!He humbled himself
to rescue sinners like you and me, serving us by giving his life as the ransom
for all. Praise him by doing everything, even eating and drinking, for his
glory.
Shout with the stones. That's the theme here today. Jesus came to Jerusalem
to die for you. His Gospelbrings life to hearts like ours that were once stone-

272. dead in sin. Believe this GoodNews and shout with praise. He is your King.
Let him reign over the choices and decisions you make. He brings you peace
with God. Live at peace with one another. And humbly serve for his glory.
Then your life is shouting praise to your Savior, your King. Shout with the
stones. Amen.
The peace ofGod that surpasses allunderstanding keepyour hearts and
minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.
http://hancocklutheran.org/sermons/Shout-with-the-Stones-Luke19_37-
40.html
The stones will cry out (A meditation on Luke 19:29-40)
Palm Sunday
Liturgy of the Palms
Year C
GospelReading:Luke 19:29-40

273. I love the film, Memento. What I love most about Memento are the little
nuggets of plot-development hidden in plain sight, and how those becomes
crucial for appreciating the entire story.
At the beginning we learn about the main character, LeonardShelby, who
suffers from extreme short term memory loss because ofa severe brain injury
incurred at his home, seconds before witnessing the murder of his wife. Justas
Leonard witnesses his wife suffocating to death, an armed robber violently
strikes Leonard on the head, and from that point forward in life, Leonard's
long-term memories are haunted by that final, enduring image of his wife's
suffocation. He then sets out on a life-long quest to find those who killed his
wife, and to satisfyjustice.
Fast-forwarding to the end of the story, a detective named Teddy is
murdered by Leonard Shelby. Leonard thinks Teddy was part of the
conspiracyto murder his wife, but of course, becauseLeonardsuffers from
severe short-term memory loss many people throughout his life after that
event—including Teddy—become suspectsofthat conspiracyaccidentally,
even though they aren't necessarilyguilty. All Leonard wants in life is to find
those who conspired in the murder of his wife, and he will do whateverit
takes to bring vengeance uponthem. But we come to find out in the end of the
story that so much more had been going on all along, and best of all it was
hidden in plain sight, right in front of our very eyes.
SpoilerAlert: Just before the death of Teddy, the detective, we learn some
mind-blowing details about Leonard's life. First we learn that Leonard
Shelby's wife didn't actually die the night her husband had his brain injury.
She survived that night, but Leonard doesn't remember that because he
suffers from extreme short-term memory loss after his brain injury. All he
remembers is her suffocating. Every day, he still thinks she's dead. And
eventually, over time, she does die; and she's even truly dead by the time the
events within the film take place. However, as the plot progresses,we learn
that Teddy, the detective, alreadybrought Leonard to the real attacker, and
Leonard already avengedhis wife, but Leonard doesn't remember that either.
Finally, as if those tidbits of information weren't shocking enough, we also
learn the most shocking factof all: Leonard actually murdered his own wife,

274. by assisting her in committing suicide. It turns out that after his injury, his
wife became so depressedwith having to live with his short-term memory loss,
that one day she testedhim. She was diabetic, and in need of regular insulin
shots, so she testedhim over and overagain by requesting him to give her
shots, minutes apart from eachother. She eventually died of overdose. That
was her way of coping with what she perceivedto be the loss of the real man
she loved and married. But he doesn't remember ever assisting hersuicide.
Leonard even gets a tattoo on his hand to assisthis memory about that, but
the tattoo doesn't help. All throughout the film we are shown that tattoo, and
the messageis in plain sight, but Leonard interprets it differently. Even when
you hear or see that phrase tattooedon his hand repeatedover and over again
("RememberSammy Jenkins"), if the viewer does not stop and think about
it's significance, orits significance is misunderstood, it is possible to watchthe
entire film and walk awayfrom it with a very different message thanwhat the
director intended.
This is true with the theologicalnuggets we find scatteredthroughout
Luke's gospel. If we overlook or misunderstand some of them hidden in plain
sight, we might walk awayfrom the gospelstory with a very different message
than what Luke intended. And in today's reading, we have one of those
theologicalnuggets. Itis found in Luke 19:39b–40, whichthe ESV translates
this way:
"Teacher, rebuke your disciples." He answered, "I tell you, if these were
silent, the very stones would cry out."
Usually, when I'm preparing a meditation for any given day, I try to
harmonize as many of the lectionary readings as possible and unite them into
a common theme. But with this week's lectionaryreadings, something very
different happened as I was studying. I became stuck on this one very brief
statement.
Do you want to know why I've been stuck on that passageallweek long?
It's because the Greek text underlying that English Standard Version does not

275. say that. And I've been hung up all week onwhat it actually says, and why
Jesus saidthat. What the Greek text actually says is this:
"Teacher, rebuke your disciples!" And answering, He [Jesus]said: "I say to
you-all, that when these [disciples]become silent, the stones will cry out!"1
As I perused through my biblical commentaries, I noticed that this passage is
usually explained in one of two ways. It's either explained as a comparison
betweenanimate human beings (i.e. disciples)and inanimate objects (i.e.
stones), illustrating somehow, some way, that Jesus deservesto be praisedby
His creation, e.g. "Ifpeople stop praising Jesus, surelythese stones on the
ground will instead!", or it's expressing a contrastof faith betweenthe
Pharisees andstones, illustrating that even stones understand their Creator
better than Pharisees.2
With either option, I'm left unconvinced. And I think it's important to
convince others to remain unconvinced as well. But in order to reachany
conviction about the meaning of this theologicalnugget(whetherone agrees
with me or not), it always helps to start by asking obvious questions. For
instance, why does Jesus mention stones? Is it merely because they can be
classifiedas inanimate objects? In that case, wouldn't the reference to stones
be somewhatarbitrary, as though Jesus couldhave mentioned any other static
material on this planet—such as trees, saddlebags, orbelly-button lint—to
illustrate the same point? He just mentioned "stones" forno essentialreason,
I guess. Perhaps it was the first thing that popped into His mind, someone
might say. That sounds like a dubious proposalat best.
What if the whole point of mentioning stones is simply to point out how
lifeless the faith of the Pharisees is? Although I don't doubt that the faith of
many Pharisees was dead, I don't think that clarifies what Jesus actually said.
Again, all one has to do to notice my contentionis to simply look back at the
text. Re-readit a few times. Such explanations about dead pharisaicalfaith
hardly accounts forwhat Jesus actually saidin context. (Besides, if you've
read the previous 18 chapters of Luke's gospel, you should have already

276. realized that their faith was dead.) So let's go back to asking obvious questions
again.
Why must stones cry out if Jesus'disciples are silenced? Thatis what the
text actually says.3 Is it because stones perceive Godbetter than Pharisees?
That doesn't answerthe question. That begs the question. If the point,
supposedly, is that Jesus is also worthy of praise by stones, then why aren't
the stones also crying out at the same time as the disciples? Why wait until the
voices of Jesus disciples are silenced?
I think that in order to make sense ofLuke 19:39b-40, we needto review the
story of Luke's gospelbriefly to find other tidbits hidden in plain sight for us.
In the close contextof 19:39b-40, Jesusis on his way into Jerusalemfor the
first time in Luke's gospel. Towardthe beginning of the Lukan travel
narrative, Jesus sethis face toward Jerusalem(9:51), and he wouldn't cease
ministering to people until he was silencedin Jerusalem. Throughout Luke's
travel narrative, that message ofreaching Jerusalemand being killed by
Israel's rulers is repeatedthree times for emphasis (9:22, 44; 18:31-33).
Alongside that tidbit, Luke's travel narrative is also filled with allusions to
soon-coming judgment upon Jerusalemfor rejecting their King. Even before
Jesus arrives in Jerusalem, the shepherds of Israelhave no excuse for
rejecting him as their King, and they also have no excuse for refusing to
repent of that rejection.
In the middle of Luke's travel narrative, we find one of those nuggets
hidden in plain sight. But there, Jesus does more than make allusions to
Jerusalem's judgment; he emphatically declares that its temple is forsaken,
abandoned by God, because they were not willing to acceptHis terms of
peace:
O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who
are sentto it! How often would I have gathered your children togetheras a
hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! Behold,

277. your house is forsaken. And I tell you, you will not see me until you say,
'Blessedis he who comes in the name of the Lord!'" (Luke 13:34-35)
Now fast forward to the end of Luke's travel narrative, where Jesus is about
to leave Jericho and enter into Jerusalemfor the first time. There we find
Jesus telling one last parable to his disciples en route to his triumphal entry
(19:11-27). In that parable Luke goes out of his way to emphasize the
allegoricalrelationshipbetweenJesus'servants in Jerusalemand Himself
entering that city as their King. By the end of the parable the "wicked
servants" and "enemies" have proven themselves hostile and indignant
toward their King. Notonly had they perpetuated gross injustice while the
King was away(similar to the claim above about "killing the prophets and
stoning those who are sent to it"), they also would not repent or acceptHis
terms of peace and reconciliation. Theyrefused to let Jesus rule mercifully
over their merciless kingdom. For that reason, the King decrees thatthey be
slain upon his arrival. With the merciful, he would show himself merciful.
With the blameless, he would show himself blameless. And with the crooked,
he would make himself seemtorturous (Psa. 18:25-26;2 Sam. 22:26-28). Jesus
saves those who are humble, but his eyes are on the haughty to bring them
down.
After that final parable, Jesus follows his prophetic cry with more sovereign
lamentations explicitly directed at first century Jews in Jerusalem(Luke
19:41–44):
And when he [Jesus]drew near and saw the city [Jerusalem], he wept over it,
saying, "Would that you, even you [Jerusalem], had knownon this day the
things that make for peace!But now they are hidden from your eyes. For the
days will come upon you, when your enemies will set up a barricade around
you and surround you and hem you in on every side and tear you down to the
ground, you and your children within you. And they will not leave one stone
upon another in you, because youdid not know the time of your visitation."
Much like the prophet Habakkuk's reasons forthundering woes against
Jerusalem, it is this incessantrejectionof Israel's King by their rulers which

278. leads to the toppled stones ofthe Temple's ruin crying out againstthose
perpetrating violence and injustice within:
You have devised shame for your house by cutting off many peoples!You
have forsakenyour life! The stone shall cry out from the wall, and the beam
from the woodwork respond:"Woe to him who builds a town with blood and
founds a city on iniquity!" (Habakkuk 2:10-12)
I believe these nuggets of prophetic woes scatteredthroughout Luke's gospel
are designedto clarify what Jesus saidto Pharisees during his triumphal
entry. The "Wisdomof God" repeatedlytold Jerusalemthat His prophets and
apostles wouldbe sent to them, but they would not listen. Instead, the harlot-
city would silence the Lord and His servants (Luke 11:49–52). With that
trajectorytoward rejectionand judgement, when we reach the point of Jesus'
triumphal entry into Jerusalem, and we see the Pharisees stillattempting to
silence Jesus'disciples (19:39b), Jesus'response makesperfectsense if its
understood as a prophetic, Habakkuk-like cry toward Jerusalemand its
corrupt rulers. As Jesus'disciples cry out, "blessedis the King who comes in
the name of the Lord! Peace inheaven and glory in the highest!", the
Pharisees tellJesus to rebuke the disciples. So when Jesus responds to the
Pharisees,its trajectory is directed toward the harlot-city, towardJerusalem's
rejectionand consequentjudgment:
"I say to you-all, that when these [disciples]become silent, the stones will cry
out!"
Little did the Pharisees know that the prophets, apostles, and disciples of
Jesus were living stones ofGod's new temple-building project(Eph. 2:19-22;1
Pet. 2:4-6), so when those stones cry out for vindication, judgement is right
around the corner because their voices are heard by Jesus himself in his
heavenly temple. This was the Lord's mysterious and marvelous plan all
along. It is through the incarnation, death, resurrection, and ascensionof
God's incarnate Son that the blood of all the prophets and apostles, shedfrom
the foundation of the world, would cry out and finally receive vindication for
all their suffering. They witnessed to the truth of God and His reign over all,

279. and their shed blood would be chargedagainstJesus'generation(11:49-52).
That generationwould be definitively judged.
All of this brings us back around to the passagein Luke in which Jesus
prophesies about disciples being silencedfor their testimony of Jesus'
lordship, and stones crying out as a result. I think its clearthat Jesus'woe
alludes to the Habakkuk woe spokento the leadershipof Jerusalem. In that
prophecy, the stones ofthe temple walls cry out because oftremendous
injustice perpetrated within its walls and upon God's people. Historically, it
was during the Jewishwars (66—70 AD)that Jerusalemand its idolatrous
temple were finally destroyed by the Lord's visitation. BecauseJerusalemdid
not know the time of her visitation, and the testimonies of those who bore
witness to Jesus were silenced, the stones would cry out from the wall: "Woe
to him who builds a town with blood and founds a city on iniquity!" But
"blessedis the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and
glory in the highest!"
At this time, someone might be asking, Whatis the bottom line of all this?
That's a goodquestion. How does this affectour understanding of the gospel
story, so that we don't miss out on what the director envisioned for us?
A few responses immediatelycome to mind:
First, because there is a pervasive tendency among Christians to "proof-
text" scripture into emotional and spiritual nonsense, it's always important to
remember that the gospels are about reallife, flesh and blood, pus and guts,
historically documented events. Even the prophecies of Jesus were not some
kind of gnostic, esoteric,mysticalfuture cataclysm. Certainlythey were about
future events. However, Jesus was addressing historicalevents whichwould
come upon his own generation(Luke 7:31; 11:29,30,31,32,50,51;16:8; 17:25;
21:32). This is often missed, and the gospels misinterpreted, because the

280. fulfillment of those divinely imposed judgments within his generationare not
takeninto accountby the average, run-of-the-mill Christian. It is absolutely
vital to the understand and acknowledgethat the destruction of Herod's
idolatrous temple is the most significant historicalevent in Israel's history.
And that was clearlyon display in Jesus'mind throughout Luke's gospel.
That event is the definitive end of the old covenant, and the decisive action
which vindicates all the disciples of Jesus Christ in the first century. The
entire course of history dramatically changedafter that cataclysmic event.4
And it's not a mere coincidence that Jesus'death, resurrection, and ascension
strike the match and light the wick leading to that cosmic judgment. So it's
important to familiarize yourself with those events, and to read scripture
through the lens of those concrete historicalpromises.
Second, remember that because everystatementwithin the gospels is part
of a much largerstory, we need to search, discover, and meditate upon the
nugget-like tidbits scatteredthroughout the story. Those tidbits are not
tertiary details. Just like in Memento, if they are overlookedor
underestimated, the director's vision behind the story canbe misunderstood.
If Jesus'explicit promises regarding Jerusalem's destructionin that
generationare overlookedorunderestimated, then the first century Jewish-
Christian context of New Testamenttheologycan be misunderstood.
Finally, but just as important as the previous points, this brief tidbit of
Luke's gospelteachesus something significant about the characterof God.
Throughout evangelicalcircles, Jesus is often mistakenlyportrayed as the
"light" versionof the old testamentGod. Just like Budweiserhas their light
beer, Jesus is the old testament Father's light-bodied persona. He's low on
calories, while still offering the full-bodied flavor of the original Divine recipe,
which we all love. As such, the Church mistakenly thinks of Jesus'character
differently than the Father's, and that is a mistake. BothJesus and YHWH
are love (Deut. 7:9; Psa 36:7-10;Joel2:13; I John 4:8,16). Both Jesus and
YHWH are a consuming fire (Deut. 4:24; Heb. 12:29). Jesus'gospelwas about
consuming fire and love. It is our God, Jesus, who considers it just to repay
with affliction those who afflict his children, and to grant his children relief
through affliction by inflicting vengeance upon those who do not know Him

281. and on those who do not obey the goodnews of our Lord Jesus (2 Thess. 1:6-
8).
In fact, it is preciselybecause Jesus is love, that we must heed Jesus'
warnings and not reshape the love of God into our own American idol. When
we see Jesus loving all those around him, we also need to see that love as an
expressionof warning his owngenerationof consuming fire—of tangible,
down-to-earth judgment upon flesh and blood because oftheir exceedingly
greatwickedness. It's also important to see Jesus as the sonof man coming to
judge them (Matt. 10:23; 12:40-42;13:37-43;16:27-28;24:30-34). As the son
of man, part of the wayhe loves the world is by waging war upon its evil every
day; and that is a goodthing. It is goodthat Jesus must continue waging that
war until he has put all his enemies underneath his feet (1 Cor. 15:25). Only
then will true peace coverthe earth as the waters coverthe sea. Jesus was
indeed the most loving human in history, and yet his love did not violate the
free will of those whom he loved, and so he warned them about how
destructive their idolatry had become, and he wagedwar againstthose who
refused to accepthis rule. In an thoroughly corrupt and evil generation, there
can be no peace without war. Thankfully, though, most people throughout the
world are not destroyed. Instead, many are confronted by the heinousness of
their own sins and destructive tendencies, and are brought to their knees
before King Jesus. Godgraciouslymakes Himselfavailable to them, and when
they sincerelyrepent and surrender to him, they are shown mercy, and they
receive new life in Him.
Another way to look at Jesus'prophetic warnings is like this: Jesus loved
the world so much that he gave his life for it, but there comes a point in time
when an entire generationneeds to acknowledgethatJesus is Lord of lords
and King of kings and he knows our needs better than we do. He knows how
to establishand cultivate peace on earth better than we do. If parts of his
creationbecome rotten to the core, he knows best, and he knows how to
uproot and plant something new and healthy in its place if need be. In a world
where the ground is cursedand humanity is exiled from the presence ofGod,
the whole process ofuprooting, tilling the soil, and planting new is an
expressionof love. The fact that the Gardener even draws near to his fields all

282. over the world and tends to their needs worldwide is a goodand beautiful
thing.
Within the exhortation of our Lord about disciples being silencedand
stones crying out, is his decree to teardown the diseasedhouse of the old
covenantin order to build an exceedinglyglorious temple in us. And his
temple-building project isn't over yet. His globalgardening projectis not over
yet. There still is a lot of work yet to be done. Don't be bashful about that, and
don't be afraid to walk in the way of Christ's suffering for that. Rather, walk
humbly in the way of his suffering that you may also share in his resurrection.
Believe that, witness to that, and proclaim that. That is true, just as God's love
for the world is true, and his warfare againstevil every day is true.
If you start thinking about how gloomy and corrupt our current generation
is in comparisonwith the glorious future promised for God's kingdom, don't
be worried about it. Continue witnessing to the goodnews of King Jesus and
his terms of peace for the world. He is always far more willing to give mercy
and extend favor than we are to receive it. He is calledthe King of Peace for
goodreasons.
And if you ever become anxious about these temporary, mortal bodies of
ours returning to the soil, leaving the fruitful praise of our lips silenced, don't
worry about that either. Other stones of God's temple will continue that
proclamation. Blessedindeed is our King, Jesus. He is the reasonwhy there is
any peace onearth and in heaven. Glory to Him in the highest!
* * * * * * *
Almighty and everliving God, in your tender love for the human race you sent
your Son our Savior Jesus Christ to take upon him our nature, and to suffer
death upon the cross, giving us the example of his greathumility: Mercifully

283. grant that we may walk in the way of his suffering, and also share in his
resurrection;through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you
and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
1. This is my translation of the Greek text: Διδάσκαλε, ἐπιτίμησοντοῖς
μαθηταῖς σου. καὶ ἀποκριθεὶς εἶπεν· Λέγω ὑμῖν, ὅτι ἐὰν οὗτοι σιωπήσουσιν, οἱ
λίθοι κράξουσιν
2. DarrellBock, a reputable Lukan scholar, offers a variant of this, claiming
that inanimate objects—like stones—"have a better perception of God than
the people He came to save." Eventhough that is a cleverand truthful way of
spinning what Jesus actuallysaid, I still think that greatlymisses Jesus'point.
See DarrellL. Bock, BakerExegeticalCommentaryon the New Testament
(Grand Rapids, MI: BakerBooks;1996), p. 1,547
3. A few other technical details are worth noting. As I have arguedhere and
elsewhere onmy blog, I think mainstream english translations of the New
Testamentare based on an interpretation disconnectedwith the destruction of
Jerusalemas foreshadowedin the consistenttypologicalmessaging ofIsrael's
prophets. To me that disconnectseems clearforgrammatical reasons as well.
For example, in the ESV we find the insertion of "very" into the text (which

284. isn't even implied in the Greek). In English, the insertion of "very" could be
construed as connoting an idea of contrastbetweenanimate and inanimate
objects, which is unnecessaryif Jesus is actually prophesying future historical
events related to Jerusalemand its temple. Another disconnectis seenin the
confusing translation of "were silent" and "would cry out" like it's a
conditional subjunctive, which it's not in Greek. Both verbs are future-active-
indicative. The ἐάν with a subjunctive verb would express a probable or
hypothetical future condition (which is why the conditional conjunction is
translated "if" in the ESV), but the indicative verbs remove that probability
and instead express certainty (which is why ἐὰν here is better translated as
"when").
4. See Mark A. Noll, Turning Points:Decisive Moments in the History of
Christianity (Grand Rapids, MI: BakerAcademic;2008, eighthed.), pp. 23-46
Postedby Epexegesisat6:29 PM
http://www.thisexplainsmore.com/2016/03/the-stones-will-cry-out-meditation-
on.html